Made to be Broken
by Jo. R
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken. Series of linked one-shots set during season six. Abby/Gibbs.
1. Judgement Day

Title: Made to be Broken  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: NC-17  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Smut, mild angst, romance  
Spoilers: 'Judgement Day'.  
Challenge/Prompt: Smut challenge  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: Might be a series, might be a standalone. I'm not entirely sure yet.

****

The first time it happened was still a blur of tangled limbs and heavy sighs. She remembered inviting herself across to Gibbs' house after the team had been transferred elsewhere, taking with her a bottle of bourbon and a change of clothes. She'd had no intention of going home that night but she hadn't been expecting to share his bed, either.

They'd both drunk their fair share of alcohol by the time it happened. Abby had a vague recollection of mentioning something about feeling alone and not having had sex in a long time... the next thing she remembered was being pressed against the smooth wood of his boat, her arms and legs wrapped around him, holding him as close as physically possible with all of their clothes still intact.

"We shouldn't do this," Gibbs muttered, his mouth pressing hot kisses along the slender line of her throat belaying the momentarily fear his words created. Her legs around his hips kept her body pressed against the boat even as his hands got to work on the buttons of her blouse.

The sound of his shirt tearing accompanied by a giggled 'oops' told him she didn't share his concerns. He smiled against her skin, surprised he could still remember how. That was his Abby, her gift. She was always able to bring light to even the darkest of nights.

The buttons of her blouse skittered across the floor as he lost his patience with them, his mouth feasting on her breasts through the lace bra she wore silencing her protests over the fate of the ruined garment. She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him close but not forcing him, a soft moan escaping her when he bit a peaked nipple then closed his lips around it.

Her bra quickly joined her blouse on the floor, another casualty. It had been one of her favourites but she couldn't bring herself to care, the assault on her sensitive flesh taking her mind to levels that couldn't comprehend the need for clothes in any shape or form.

His hands moved beneath the hem of her skirt, fingers trailing over her outer thigh as they moved up, up to the waist band of her panties. They, too, were torn away as neither was willing to part long enough to let them slip down her legs.

Abby moaned and writhed unashamedly, fixing her unfocused gaze on the single light bulb that lit the basement. She couldn't anything but hold on to him, cling to his shoulders, to the side of the boat, to anything that would give her enough purchase to move her hips against his insistently.

She hadn't been lying when she'd told him it'd been a while and being with him only made her movements all the more desperate.

His fingers slipped inside her, his lips and tongue and teeth still teasing each of her breasts in turn. She tried to tell him to stop, tried to tell him to keep going, but all that left her were moans and sighs and inarticulate cries.

The world faded into darkness, her eyes closing as her mouth moved wordlessly.

Gibbs didn't give her time to recover, pulling her up into his arms again, kissing her hard, almost punishingly as her hands slipped between them to fumble with the fly of his jeans. With his help, she was able to get them undone, pushing the heavy material down over his hips along with his boxers, her hand stroking his swollen penis for a few scant moments before he pulled her hand away, pinning her arms to the side of the boat as he entered her in one strong, fluid motion.

A cry escaped her, a groan torn from his throat.

They didn't speak; words were beyond them. He thrust into her, hard, fast and unforgiving. After a few moments, she met him thrust for thrust, tilting her hips, tightening her inner muscles, giving as much as she could take.

Every thrust brought them closer. Every thrust was an attempt at forgetting something.

Jenny's death.

Ziva leaving for Israel.

Tony's assignment as an Agent Afloat.

Tim transferring to the cyber crime division.

While their climaxes were physically satisfying, there was still a hollow ache inside them emotionally. Abby clung to him, her face pressed into his shoulder as he lowered her down, his own head resting against hers. They panted heavily, trying to catch their breath as the enormity of what they'd done slowly began to sink in.

For years, they'd indulged in a flirtatious dance. It'd been so tempting to stray over the line so many times but they'd always resisted, always drawn back before they crossed it.

It was too late for that now.

Gibbs lifted his head, his ordinarily light blue eyes dark and shadowed when she managed to bring herself to look up at him. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, brow furrowed as he realised he didn't know what to say.

"No strings," Abby murmured, surprised by the sound of her own voice. "We needed this. I needed this." She pressed a finger against his lips when it looked like he was going to talk again. "Just sex between friends, Gibbs. Damn good sex, I'll grant you that. Nothing else. I don't want anything you can't give me. I just want... I need to be close to someone right now. To you."

Friends with benefits. Casual sex. That was what she was offering, all she could offer.

It was all she knew he'd accept.

Gibbs nodded, unable or unwilling to speak. He leaned in to kiss her again, lips softly brushing hers before he pulled away and took her by the hand, leading her upstairs, up to his room and into his bed.

*****


	2. Agent Afloat

Title: Made to be Broken – Agent Afloat  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: NC-17  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Smut, mild angst, romance  
Spoilers: 'Agent Afloat'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She thought it would be over when the team were reunited. They went out for drinks after work to officially welcome Tony back and she consoled herself that it'd been good while it had lasted – very, very good – and promised herself that she wouldn't let it affect their working relationship.

Gibbs, it seemed, had other ideas and she certainly wasn't about to complain.

When he offered to drive her home, she started preparing herself mentally for the inevitable blow off. His team was back, their circle restored. They no longer needed to seek comfort in one another in a physical sense – there was no reason for it.

No excuse.

He got out of the car without comment and she waited in the passenger seat, fidgeting with her bracelets anxiously. She tried to smile when he opened the car door for her, dropping her gaze from his when she felt he was seeing too much of her. The hand he placed against the small of her back to lead her up the steps into her building burnt through the thin cotton of her top and she willed herself not to react.

"You don't have to see me to the door, Gibbs. I'm sure I'll be safe from here." She chanced another look at him as she started up the stairs to her second floor apartment, surprised that he'd followed her further than the front door.

"I know I don't have to. I want to." He shrugged when he caught her eye and it was his turn to look away first.

They made their way up to her apartment in silence and she took her time unlocking the door, drawing out the moment. As soon as she turned to say goodnight, he'd tell her their physical relationship was over. He'd be nice about it – he was Gibbs and he did care about her – but he'd be firm. Sex was a distraction, one they were no longer were in need of now their friends were back and one he couldn't afford at work.

Resigned to the fact it was over and she would be reacquainting herself with some of the neglected toys in the drawer beside her bed, Abby forced herself to turn and look at him once the door was open.

She wasn't expecting him to be so close nor was she expecting him to move even closer.

Her mouth was open to question him when he lowered his to it, his tongue entering her parted lips to duel with hers without preamble. He kissed her hungrily, as though it'd been weeks since they'd been together when in actual fact it'd only been a few days since she'd last shared his bed.

Abby gripped his shoulders and moaned into his mouth, fingernails digging into flesh and muscle through the material of his shirt. She welcomed the leg he moved between hers, pressing herself against it even as they moved into her apartment to keep from giving her neighbours a show.

The door slammed heavily, hard at her back. Her head swam dizzily but she wasn't sure if it was due to the kiss or the speed at which he'd spun her around.

"Gibbs..." She tore her mouth away, breathing heavily, trailing kisses from his jaw to his ear. She nibbled on his earlobe, smiling breathlessly when his hands flexed against her hips in response before moving to deal with the fastening at the front of her pants.

"Yeah, Abs?" His mouth returned to hers for a few long moments, silencing her far more effectively than anything words could.

Abby broke away, pushing her hands against his chest to get him to take a step back. She looked at him through lidded eyes, her chest heaving with uneven breaths. "I thought you were going to end it," she admitted quietly, fingers tightening around his shirt as if to keep him with her. "I thought you were going to say it's over..."

Gibbs looked at her, his expression giving nothing away even as his eyes searched hers. "Do you want it to be?"

She took her time in replying, knowing if she answered too quickly, she'd be giving away too much. She shook her head and tugged on his shirt, drawing him just close enough to stand on her tiptoes and press her lips against his. "No. But if you did, I'd be okay with that. I meant what I said. I don't want any more than you can give me."

It was a lie, one of the few she'd told him, but Gibbs didn't seem to notice.

He allowed her to kiss him gently for a few moments before taking control. His hand at the back of her head kept her in place as he nibbled at her lips, running his tongue over them before she allowed let him take control and deepen their kiss, his tongue sweeping over her teeth and the roof of her mouth, tasting her, branding her.

Claiming her.

They backed slowly away from the door, relying on their memories to guide them from the front of her apartment through to her bedroom at the back. Abby pushed him backwards until the backs of his legs hit her mattress, her nimble fingers slowly lowering the zipper of his pants before slipping her hand inside to stroke his already hardened length through the thin material of his boxer shorts.

She stopped long enough to push down his pants, pleased when he shrugged out of his shirt and cast it haphazardly on the floor.

He stood naked in front of her, unabashed by it. They'd been lovers in a physical sense for long enough that they knew each other's bodies intimately, leaving no room for self-consciousness or insecurities.

She kissed him softly, trailing her lips down his neck to his shoulders. Gibbs bore it silently, his hands resting at her waist, but he made no effort to stop her or to guide her actions. His hands tightened when her lips found first one nipple and then the other, his fingers digging into her flesh as she first bit gently then licked the sensitive nubs with her tongue. He felt her smile against his chest and was forced to let go of her hips as she moved lower, one hand clenching into a fist at his side while the other came to rest on the top of her head as she took him into her mouth, her fingers working alongside her tongue and lips to torment him to the edge.

He groaned her name softly, tilting his head back as his eyes slid shut. His hips moved of their own accord and he felt the puff of hot air against his strained member when she laughed and tutted softly, telling him to be patient.

It was a few minutes later when he dragged her up to his level, kissing her hungrily as his patience wore out. His hands made short work of removing her clothes, leaving them strewn on the floor wherever they landed as he sat down on the edge of the bed and drew her down with him, settling her into his lap.

A small sound escaped her, part giggle, part sigh. She wiggled her hips atop of him, smirking when his eyes darkened and he growled in warning. His hips jerked upwards, showing her wordlessly what he wanted and Abby was only too happy to oblige. She took him into her, holding his gaze, and rocked her hips gently at first. Gibbs put his hands on her waist to help guide her movements, pressing his feet against the floor, curling his toes as he moved beneath her.

He watched her as she rode him, unable to tear his eyes away from her face as her eyes half-closed in pained pleasure, her full lips parting so she could pant softly. He lifted his hands to her hair, untying it from the dishevelled pigtails she'd been wearing, running his fingers through her dark locks as it settled around her face.

Black against pale ivory skin, framing vibrant green eyes and swollen red lips.

He felt his release building and lowered his head to her breasts. He suckled at one nipple while he pinched the other between his forefinger and thumb. The hand that had been supporting the small of her back moved to slip between their bodies, his fingers moving to where their bodies were joined, making short work of finding her clit and stroking it in a steady tempo he knew she couldn't resist.

She shuddered around him, her muscles clenching as her hips moved erratically against his. His name was a breathless sob torn from her lips, her head thrown back. Gibbs lifted his head to watch her, her image emblazoned in his mind as he found his own release and emptied himself within her.

Abby curled up against him, her head finding a place against his shoulder as it normally did. He felt her breath against his neck slowly even out and waited until his heart rate returned to something akin to normal before attempting to move them into the centre of the bed.

She helped him drowsily, burrowing beneath the sheets he pulled up over them. He lay down beside her without hesitation, wrapping his body around hers before following her into a deep, contented slumber.

*****

He sat on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep for several long minutes before finally listening to the voice in his head and getting up to go home.

They'd only woken up together twice; once after their first night as lovers, once after his first visit to her apartment. Abby had made a habit of leaving before he woke every time after that and Gibbs had found himself following her lead even when he would have preferred not to.

He smiled when she reached for his pillow, arms wrapping around it possessively as she buried her face against it. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes circled by mascara and eyeliner smears and he thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

Not that he would tell her that. Not that he could.

Their arrangement was strictly physical; that was the way she wanted it and if it was the only way he could have her, Gibbs was willing to put up with it.

He couldn't understand why someone like Abby would be interested in him and was sure her interest would fade in a few more months once he'd given her all he could. He was convinced she'd get bored; that she'd find someone else, someone younger. When she did, he'd let her go. It'd break his heart but he'd do it for her. He'd go back to being her friend, her confidant, and he'd be there to pick up the pieces and give her a shoulder to cry on, a protector consigned to living in the shadows of her brilliant existence.

In the meantime, he was going to enjoy it. Savour it. Commit everything to memory so he had something to fall back on to warm the lonely nights ahead of him.

He stood up carefully, not wanting to wake her, and slipped out of her bedroom, out of the apartment, and into the busy world beyond.

*****


	3. Capitol Offence

Title: Made to be Broken – Capitol Offence  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: Mild R  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Smut, mild angst, romance  
Spoilers: 'Capitol Offence'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She still woke up reaching for him, even when she knew he wouldn't be there. The delicious ache in her body told her it hadn't all been a dream, as did the lingering scent of sawdust and caffeine and something else uniquely Gibbs that clung to the sheets around her.

Abby sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to motivate herself to get up and out of bed. She'd never been a morning person anyway but having to tear herself out of a warm bed that still carried his scent made it all the more difficult.

The alarm on her dresser went off right on cue and she stretched her arm across the bed to reach the snooze button with a sigh.

*****

Patrick Kiley had been a good friend to him once. He and his wife Lynn had been there for him, supported him through some pretty bad times... To know that they could betray his friendship and try to use him was something that hurt quite a lot – more than he'd been expecting.

Gibbs was used to seeing the worst in people but not when those people were supposed to be his friends.

His boat took the brunt of his temper, angry energy poured into his actions. He'd changed into sweat pants and an old t-shirt almost as soon as he'd walked through the door, heading to his basement where his boat and his bourbon were waiting – the three important 'b's' in his life.

He couldn't rid himself of the frustrated tension, though, no matter how hard he tried. He found himself getting clumsy, sandpaper skimming his knuckles on more than one occasion as he allowed his thoughts to distract him from the job at hand.

"Shit." He dropped the sanding block after catching the same place on his hand twice in a row, pressing the grazed skin to his lips to soothe the immediate sting and clean away the blood that appeared on the surface.

"You shouldn't work with tools when you're drunk." Her voice took him by surprise and Gibbs looked up to see Abby pushing herself up from the step she'd been sitting on. He said nothing as she approached him, watching her guardedly as she reached out for his injured hand. Her fingers ran over his knuckles gently as she held his hand in both of his. Her eyes caught his as she lifted his hand to her lips, pressing a gentle kiss against the graze. "Feel any better?"

She was talking about more than his hand and they both knew it. He opened his mouth to brush off her concern, to tell her he was fine but found himself unable to respond verbally when she pressed her lips against his gently.

Wordlessly, Abby laced her fingers through his and led him by his injured hand away from his boat, up the stairs away from his basement.

He wanted to talk to her, wanted to tell her how he really felt.

Held his tongue out of fear he'd ruin what they already had.

When she led him to his bedroom, he didn't protest. He let her undress him slowly, content to watch and let her take control of the situation, and then he sat on his bed and waited, watching as she removed her own clothes and folded them neatly before joining him on the bed and covering his body with her own.

Though he couldn't bring himself to hope she saw it as anything more than no-strings sex, Abby was gentle in her ministrations, subjecting him to a gentle form of seductive torture that ignited a slow burning heat in his body. She kissed each of his scars in turn though refrained from asking about them; that was a right reserved for lovers in every sense of the word, not just those who enjoyed physical intimacy without the emotional attachment.

She ran her hands and lips over him in silence, eliciting low moans and a growl or two from her willing captive before taking him inside her, where he wanted to be, driving them both to the brink and over it.

Her body settled against his when they'd recovered enough to move, one leg thrown casually over his while she listened to his heartbeat beneath her ear, not commenting when his arms wound around her waist and anchored her to him.

Anchored him to the present and kept him from fading into the past.

He wanted to talk to her, wanted to explain how he felt and why. That surprised him. Gibbs wasn't known for his talkative side and he'd not been with a woman who'd made him feel so safe and secure, not been with anyone he'd actually wanted to open up to since his marriage to Shannon had come to a tragic and all-too-soon end.

Abby was an exception to so many rules, Gibbs realised, and promised himself he'd tell her if he ever got the chance.

*****

End


	4. Heartland

Title: Made to be Broken – Heartland  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: PG13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Mild angst, romance  
Spoilers: 'Heartland'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Stillwater was the kind of town she'd imagined could help produce a man like Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It had a wholesome feel to it, the kind of place a good man could grow up with an enviable set of morals. Quiet and quaint, everyone seemed to know everything there was to know about the other which was why walking through the town at night was strangely unsettling.

She didn't feel threatened but she felt the questioning looks and heard the muted whispers. Abby started to question the wisdom of leaving the home of Jackson Gibbs after dark but felt a familiar presence before she could change her mind and turn back.

"You should've told me you were going out." Gibbs fell into step beside her but was looking ahead when she glanced in his direction. "Jack was worried you'd get into trouble."

"What kind of trouble could I get into?" Abby asked quietly, feeling the heat of his hand next to hers as they walked side-by-side but neither made an effort to further the contact. "It seems like a nice, friendly town."

He shrugged instead of answering, letting her chose the direction as they reached a crossroad. "It is but you're a stranger. You could get lost."

"Or I could get hassled because of the way I look? The way I dress?" She gave him a sidelong look as they passed a noisy bar on the other side of the street. She'd seen rowdier places both in DC and in New Orleans where she'd grown up but the loud music and even louder voices seemed somehow unnerving in the otherwise still and silent town. She looked down at her outfit; short black skirt, matching black shirt, black leather collar with silver studs... She supposed Stillwater was quiet enough that even her current outfit – sedate, in her eyes – could be described as 'out there'. "Do you think there's something wrong with the way I'm dressed? I would've brought some more... conservative... clothes but I didn't have time to go home and pack. It was a spur of the moment thing, you know. Tony said he was going to come and I..."

Gibbs stopped, moving to stand in front of her so quickly she barely had time to blink – quickly enough that she almost walked into him, stopping just a split-second away. He looked down at her through blue eyes that studied her intently, stripping her of her defences and pinning her to the place where she stood. "Why did you come with him, Abby? You could've stayed back in DC..."

"Would you prefer it if I had?" Using a technique she'd learnt from him, Abby answered his question with one of her own, tilting her head to the side as she gazed up at him. "Am I embarrassing you, Gibbs? Don't you want me meeting your father...?"

His lips stopped her from making any further accusations. He pushed her against the wall of the closed store they were walking beside, his hands clasping her face with a gentleness that contradicted the hardness of the body he pressed against her. His teeth clashed with hers for a brief moment and he nibbled on her full bottom lip before kissing her fully.

The catcalls and wolf-whistles from the bar across the street had them pulling apart just as hands had begun to slip under clothes. Abby leaned against the wall heavily, keeping her eyes closed even when she felt him move away from her.

"Why are you here, Abby?" His voice was quiet but no less serious and she could feel his gaze on her face even without opening her eyes to look at him. "It's a simple question."

She shrugged her shoulders and opened her eyes, forcing herself to meet and hold his gaze as she answered his question as honestly as she could. "I missed you. I wanted to see you, make sure you were okay, but I'm here because I missed you. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Whether it was or wasn't, Gibbs didn't get the chance to tell her. His cell phone rang in his pocket, drawing a grimace from him and a partly disappointed, partly relieved sigh from Abby.

"Yeah. Gibbs." He held the phone to his ear for a few moments, his jaw clenching at whatever was being said. "We're not... Right." He hung up, his expression thunderous, and glanced towards the bar with a typically cold Gibbs stare on his face.

"Something wrong?" Following his gaze, Abby couldn't see a reason for the sudden change in his demeanour.

He glared at the bar for a few seconds more, at something or someone she couldn't see. "Nothing. Jack said supper's almost ready. We better head back before DiNozzo eats it all."

He made no attempt at touching her or even talking to her on the short walk back. She could feel the tension radiating from him, his shoulders squared as though prepared for battle. It wasn't until after supper, after they'd all retired for the night and she'd slipped downstairs to get a glass of water that she discovered the reason why.

*****

"She's young. Pretty. Smart, too." Jackson Gibbs listed Abby's positive attributes, hoping to get a reaction from his son but entirely unsurprised when he didn't. "Not what I was expecting you to go for, though. Certainly not outside Kevin's place in the middle of the day where anyone could've seen you."

Gibbs gave his father an annoyed look but said nothing, nursing the glass of bourbon in his hand instead. He felt like a teenager again, and was suddenly reminded why he'd been so keen to leave Stillwater in the first place. It felt a bit like living under a microscope, where everything he did – big or small – made it back to his father often before he himself did.

"I thought you had a little more discretion that that, Leroy." Jack shook his head with a sigh. "I understand the attraction but I think you need to be sure before you rush into anything with this girl. She's not like your other women. She might put on a tough front but I think she's got a vulnerable side she might not let anyone see."

"I've known her for ten years, Jack. I think I know her better than you do." Gibbs glanced up from his glass. "Don't presume to know what's going on between me and Abby. You have no idea."

"I know you were seen making a display of yourself in town by several good friends of mine. Neighbours who wanted to know if it was really my son they saw with his tongue down some young woman's throat." Jack's hand tightened around the bottle of beer he held. "I know we're not as close as we could be, son, and I may not know Abby as well as you do but I know you. I know you've been hurting for too long. I know she could be good for you and I'd hate to see you screw it up and throw it all away."

Gibbs inclined his head to show he was listening but otherwise didn't react to his father's words.

"All I'm saying is be careful. Don't get in too deep unless you're sure you know what you're doing." Jackson gave his son one last look before pushing himself up from his chair, leaving Gibbs to brood alone.

Torn between going to him and giving him space, Abby waited a few minutes before leaving the little alcove she'd ducked into, heading towards the kitchen to get the glass of water she'd come downstairs for.

The sound of the water running from the tap disguised the sound of footsteps behind her, though she knew from experience he could've snuck up on her anyway if he'd wanted. The arms that slid around her waist made her close her eyes and she only opened them when she felt herself being turned by gentle but insist hands on her hips.

Gibbs gazed down at her, blue eyes unreadable in the shadowed room. His fingers traced slow circles over her hipbones through the thin cotton of her pyjama pants and she lifted her face to his instinctively when he leaned down to brush her mouth with his own.

It was a gentle kiss, igniting a slow-burning heat in the pit of her stomach rather than the quick white-hot hunger she was used to with Gibbs. Abby laid her hands on his shoulders, curling her fingers a little to get a better grip on him, pressing herself against him willingly as he crowded her back against the sink.

The touch of his fingers against the bare skin of her stomach beneath her top jolted her back to the moment and she pulled away, leaning back to keep him from kissing her again.

"Not here," she murmured, her husky voice sounding rougher than normal. "We can't..." She bit her bottom lip and gazed up at him through her lashes. "Someone might hear..."

His expression suggested he didn't care if anyone heard or not but cleared after a moment, a sigh escaping him as his hands dropped back down to her waist.

"Tomorrow," Abby promised, leaning up to kiss him lingeringly before slipping out of his arms. "My place."

Gibbs poured himself a glass of cold water before heading upstairs to his own room.

*****

He didn't get much sleep that night, staring up at the familiar marks on the ceiling with his hands behind his head. His mind was a whirlwind, a commotion of jumbled thoughts and feelings. Being in Stillwater made him feel both closer to Shannon, and more aware than ever of her absence.

There was a part of him that would always love her, the part that had caused him to hold back in every relationship he'd had since. Even though his later marriages had ended in divorce, he'd loved each of his ex-wives in his own way albeit differently to how he'd loved Shannon. His relationships with Jen and Hollis had both meant something to him, the former especially, but he'd still kept his distance in some way out of loyalty to Shannon and the memory of all he'd had with her.

It was strange that being in Stillwater, being in the place where they'd met and fallen in love, made him realise that maybe it was time to stop doing that. He wasn't sure if it was the influence of making amends with his father or the effect of his developing relationship with Abby or both but he thought that he was finally ready to move on from his lost love and find happiness with his new love.

He realised now that it wasn't disloyal to Shannon to want to be with someone else, to want to love them and open up to them and let himself complete and be completed. He knew her enough to be confident that she loved him as much as he'd loved her, that she would want him to be happy and move on and not spend the rest of his life constrained by the painful shadows of the past.

With Abby, he'd found the light again, a warmth he'd tried to deny himself. He couldn't deny it anymore.

The thought of her lying in her own bed across the hall made his stomach flip over. His hands clenched and he resisted the urge to do one of two things – leave his room in search of her or hold her image at the forefront of his mind as he satisfied the longing that thinking of her created inside him.

He had to convince her it was more than a physical need, that she was more than just a replacement for what he'd lost.

It'd take time but he was determined. He wasn't going to let her slip away.

*****

End


	5. Nine Lives

Title: Made to be Broken – Nine Lives  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: NC17  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Fluff, romance, smut  
Spoilers: 'Nine Lives'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

*****

The sound of her laughter made him want to smile even as the sight of her made his hands clench at his sides.

Abby nudged McGee's shoulder with her own, her grin wide and contagious. Her green eyes sparkled as she said something that brought a blush to the younger agent's face and Gibbs found himself wondering if he was intruding on an intimate moment between the had-been lovers.

As if sensing him – and she probably had, she usually seemed to – Abby looked up and her eyes locked with his. The grin faded from her face, the corners of her lips curving upwards in a not-so-innocent smile before it vanished behind her usual happy-to-see-him expression.

"Hey, Gibbs." She bounced over to him, hugging him briefly. "Wanna watch some mold porn with us?"

"Mold...?" He arched an eyebrow and glanced at McGee, watching in amusement as the agent in question only blushed a darker shade of scarlet.

"I've got... filing... to do..." Throwing Gibbs a look that begged him not to correct him, McGee hurried out of the lab. "Catch you later, Abby."

Rolling her eyes, Abby crossed her arms over her chest. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was still a virgin," she muttered. "I've never known anyone get so easily embarrassed."

Gibbs, though not wanting to acknowledge her past relationship with McGee, felt it was his duty to stand up for the other man. "Maybe if you, DiNozzo and David didn't try to make him squirm so much, he wouldn't get so embarrassed."

"But it's so much fun!" Abby pouted at him. "That and teasing Tony about his hair being out of place. That always gets a reaction."

He shook his head and failed to keep a small grin from taking shape on his face. Gibbs glanced over his shoulder at the doorway and, seeing no one there, motioned to the door to her office with his head. They wouldn't be completely shielded from the security cameras in her lab but it would be easier to talk without being accidentally overheard by any eavesdroppers passing by.

They'd made it a rule not to talk about their physical relationship at work – an unspoken rule he intended to break. He hoped she wouldn't mind – and hoped if she didn't, it'd mean he had a chance she'd be more open to the idea of taking their relationship a step beyond being simply physical.

She followed him without question, showing once again her unshakable trust in him. She sat in her chair, watching silently as he sat on the edge of her desk, his back to the door and the security camera.

"You want to grab something to eat tonight?" It wasn't what he'd planned to say but the words he'd pre-planned refused to leave his throat. "My treat."

Abby tilted her head to the side, looking at him in consideration. She lifted a hand and toyed with one of her pigtails. "Something going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." He gave her his most charming grin and only just resisted the urge to reach out to touch her cheek. "Dinner and drinks?"

"And dancing?" Her face brightened, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Will you dance with me, Gibbs?"

He hesitated for a moment. He could dance, of course – being married four times had made sure of that. He leaned forward when her smile began to fade, giving in to the temptation to touch her face, fingers forming the words 'my girl' against her. "There'll be dancing after," he promised in a voice low with intent. "All the dancing you can stand when we get home, okay?"

A slow smile spread across her face. She stood, glancing in the direction of the cameras. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, her fingers toying with the collar of his shirt just out of view. She smirked at the look on his face when a fingertip grazed his skin. "Dinner, drinks and dancing. How could a girl say no?"

They agreed to leave straight from work and Gibbs made his exit, not trusting himself to stay for too much longer. It'd been three days since they'd last been together, three long days of working a case with Fornell and the FBI – one of his least favourite things to do. Part of him wanted to take her straight back to her place – nearer than his own – and take her straight to bed but he wouldn't let himself give in to those urges.

Not till he'd figured out how to prove to her there was more between them than just a strong friendship and really good sex – really *really* good sex.

His three agents were taking amongst themselves when he made it back to the squad room. Gibbs hid a smile and settled himself at his own desk, keeping one eye on the clock as he began reading the reports they'd neatly stacked up for him.

*****

They didn't go anywhere expensive though Gibbs wouldn't have minded taking her to any one of the exclusive restaurants in the city. Abby insisted a Thai place not too far away from the Navy Yard was fine – it had good food, affordable alcohol and they weren't likely to be turned away for turning up in the clothes they'd worn to work.

It wasn't too busy, either, which fit Gibbs' plans nicely as they were shown to a cosy table for two at the side of the restaurant.

They talked about the case over their starters and moved onto other, lighter subjects during the main course. They shared their meals, shifting their chairs so they were sitting almost side by side, knees brushing accidentally on purpose beneath the table.

Half-way through the main course, Abby let her hand drift down to rest on his thigh, fingernails tracing mindless patterns against the material of his pants as she rested her cheek on one hand, content to just watch him and listen to him explain how he'd come to know Fornell and why he hadn't minded when his friend had proposed to one of his ex's.

His expression was unguarded and open, his blue eyes lit up in a way Abby wasn't sure she'd seen before. He looked happier somehow, more settled, and she wondered what was responsible for it. She hoped she was even just partly responsible but couldn't let herself to believe she was.

His voice trailed off when he noticed her staring, a small almost self-conscious smile on his face. "Am I boring you?"

"Not at all." She squeezed his thigh, trailing her fingernails up towards his groin, grinning when his eyebrows shot up. "You look different somehow. Lighter." She shrugged a shoulder. "And I was wondering if we could maybe skip the coconut sorbet and head straight to your place for dancing and dessert?"

Gibbs moved his hand to cover hers, lowering it back to his knee where he laced their fingers together and held it beneath the table. "Before we do that, there's something I need to say to you." He gave her a look when she opened her mouth, one eyebrow arched. "Just hear me out, Abs. Please." He waited till she inclined her head in acquiescence before speaking, his voice quiet and his gaze fixed on her face even though he couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I want you to know I'm not gonna pressure you into anything. I don't want more from you than you can give," he told her, echoing what she'd told him when their no-strings relationship had begun. "But I do want more. I want exclusivity, I want you in my bed and my life. In every sense, not just the physical. If I'm being honest, it's never just been sex for me, Abby. It never could be with you."

He lapsed into silence, having said far more than he was comfortable with. His hand had unwittingly tightened over hers and he didn't seem to notice that she'd made no attempt at pulling away from him throughout his explanation.

Her free hand moved to his cheek, turning it gently so he had to look into her eyes. Abby smiled, her eyes shining, and leaned in to kiss him.

A kiss goodbye, Gibbs was sure.

Her hand lingered at his cheek for a few moments before she stood, their hands still joined as he looked up at her, a question on his face.

"You still owe me dessert," she told him quietly, her smile stretching when he blinked at her in surprise. "Dessert and dancing, if I remember right."

He didn't need telling twice. He settled the bill and ushered her out, his hand splayed possessively over the small of her back as he led the way to his car. It was one of the longest car journeys of his life, Gibbs was sure, but eventually he was pulling up outside of his house, following her up to the door of his house.

He let her lead the way to his bedroom, only a little bit surprised that they made it all the way there before she turned to him and walked straight into his arms. They took their time undressing one another, exploring the newly revealed skin as if for the first time. Gibbs grinned against her slightly rounded stomach when she arched beneath him, his name a breathless sigh on her lips, her fingers threaded through his hair.

Tormenting her to new heights, Gibbs took his time, ignoring her pleas for more as he teased her sensitive nerve endings as much as he could get away with. He laughed against her when she called him a bastard, her fingernails digging into his flesh so he couldn't move away despite her demands to the contrary.

When he crawled up her still trembling body to press his mouth to hers, Abby wound her legs around his waist tightly, using a strength he hadn't known she possessed to roll them over, a wicked grin curving her lips as she looked down at him.

"I'm confused," she told him, straddling him as his hands came to rest on her hips. "Is this the dancing part of the evening or the dessert...?"

He grinned up at her, his hands tightening on her hips before he let his fingers skittered along her spine when she bent forward to kiss him. "I'd say dancing," he murmured against her lips, teasing her tongue with his own when it tried to slip into his mouth. "We can have the ice cream you left last time for dessert."

"Promises, promises, Agent Gibbs." Shifting atop of him, Abby drew a groan from his throat with her fingers and lips, smirking against him when she felt him try to take control of the embrace. She snaked a hand between their bodies, stroking him, squeezing him. Her smirk widened when he glared at her, his head falling back against the pillows when she finally took him into her.

He let her control their movements until it became clear she had every intention of denying them what they both wanted. She eased her hips away when he tried to rise up and push himself deeper into her and while he enjoyed it at first, it quickly proved too much for him. Gibbs sat up, one hand at the back of her head as he kissed her hungrily, swallowing her moan. He twisted them, rolling her beneath him, pushing into her, withdrawing almost fully only to push into her again. His fingers moved between them, sliding over her, and it was Abby's turn to gasp.

She splintered apart beneath his ministrations, her release triggering his own. After a few moments of lying on top of her, Gibbs rolled off and to the side, drawing her into his arms as she curled up beside him. She yawned and nestled her head on his shoulder, wrapping one leg over his as she tilted her face up to accept his kiss.

"Give me a few minutes then we can get the ice cream," Abby mumbled, lowering her head back to his shoulder.

He chuckled, his arm tightening around her waist for a moment. "Take all the time you need, Abs. I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you."

*****

End... For now...


	6. Murder 20

Title: Made to be Broken – Murder 2.0  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: Mild R for non-explicit sex.  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Smut, mild angst, romance  
Spoilers: 'Murder 2.0'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken. Continuing the series, post-ep for 'Murder 2.0'.

Currently rewatching Season Six so was inspired to get back to this series. Hopefully I'll finish the sixth season and start on the seventh before the eighth season premieres! ;)

*****

A shiver ran down her spine as she lay on her stomach beside him, watching his sleeping profile intently.

She could've lost him. He could've died.

Although she'd thought herself to be in danger, it was all part of the plan of a sick and twisted individual, someone determined to use her as a pawn in the mind game he was trying to play with Gibbs.

Abby shifted, her hand resting above his heart, feeling its steady pulse beneath her palm.

"I can feel you staring." Gibbs cracked open one blue eye, the sleeping smile fading from his face when he caught sight of the worry on hers. "Hey. What is it?"

"Nothing." She tried to smile, cuddling into him and burying her face into his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her and drew her closer.

Gibbs ran his hand down her back, settling his palm over the curve of her hip. He stared up at the ceiling and concentrated on the feel of her body against his, the sound of her breathing in the otherwise silent room.

He remembered his fear when McGee had identified the video as being a live feed, when she'd told him over the phone that she recognised the poster on the wall outside of her lab. For one, excruciating moment, he'd worried he wouldn't get to her in time. He'd imagined getting to her lab to find her beaten and broken body, the green eyes he loved so much staring up at him lifelessly, without their sparkle, without the loving glow he'd come to depend on seeing.

Having to deal with the janitor while letting McGee check she was alright had bothered him but he'd known it was what he had to do. A good thing, really, since he valued his shoes too much to have them still stuck to the floor of her lab.

He still remembered the way she'd trembled under his hands, drawing the blanket around her shoulders more securely. He remembered the look on her face when she'd looked up at him, the uncertainty and hope in her eyes when she'd asked if she could spend the night with him.

In front of everyone, he hadn't said anything. Just acknowledged her request with the slight inclination of his head.

When it was over and he finally got her home, he'd made sure she knew she never had to ask.

"It's over, Abs." He moved his hand from her hip to trace the line of her spine again, not missing the way she shivered again and tried to get even closer to him. "You're okay now."

She lifted her head at that, her black hair a tangled frame around her pale face. "It's not me I was worried about. It's you. You could've been killed. Blown to pieces." She propped herself up on an elbow and slapped his chest lightly with her other hand – lightly, but still hard enough to sting. "You could've died, Gibbs, and then what would I have done?"

Hating the shimmer of tears in her eyes, Gibbs found himself wondering what he could say or do to make them go away. "You would've hurt for a while but you'd have gone on."

It was obviously the wrong thing to say.

Abby slapped his chest again, a little harder than before, and untangled herself from his arms. She felt his eyes on her as she got out of the bed, scrambling around to get her clothes, throwing them on haphazardly. She didn't seem to notice that her t-shirt was inside out and was trying to figure out how to get her pants on when one leg was the wrong way when he got out of bed and joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist and stilling her hands with his own.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his voice a low rumble in his chest that she felt in her back. "Abby..."

"If you really think it'd be that easy to get over you, we're obviously not on the same page where this relationship is concerned." She shrugged out of his arms, turning around to glare at him as she crossed her own arms over her chest. "You mean too much to me to lose, Gibbs. I can't... I'm not as strong as you. Losing Kate nearly killed me and I wasn't in love with her."

Her words stilled his actions. He watched her intently for a few moments before looking away. Abby clutched her arms, nails digging into her skin. She waited for him to say something, her shoulders slumping when he didn't.

Grabbing her pants – figuring she'd figure out how to put them on when she got downstairs, away from him, Abby left the bedroom and had made it into the living room before he joined her, now clad in his jeans but nothing else, his arms once again going around her, spinning her to face him.

Lips and teeth clashed as he kissed her hungrily, pulling her body against his tightly as he crowded her towards the couch, pressing her down onto it as a surprised sound escaped her as they tumbled down together.

"Gibbs..."

"It's the first time you've said it," he mumbled, hands busily making their way beneath her t-shirt, fingers skimming her sides on their way up to her chest.

Her mind struggled to comprehend his words as his hands and lips assaulted her senses. Abby moaned and pressed herself against him, his denim-clad thigh slipping between her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, encouraging the open mouthed kisses he placed along her neck. Her eyes opened when his words sunk in, widening in surprise. "I tell you I love you all the time."

"Not since this started," he mumbled, tugging at her t-shirt, dragging it over her head so he could continue his trail of kisses down her body. "You've not said it recently."

"Neither have you." She drew his head up, holding it between her hands as she stared at him. Her fingers stroked the hair at his temples, her eyes luminous. "Do you love me, Gibbs? You said you wanted more. You wanted me. You never said why."

He stared at her for a few moments, covering the distance between them to kiss her soundly, trying to convey the feelings welling up inside him with that one kiss. Panting a little when they parted, Gibbs touched her face tenderly, trailing a finger over her swollen lips. "I love you, Abby Scuito. Very much."

The smile on her face made any discomfort he felt at saying the words worth it. As was the kiss she bestowed on his very willing lips and the fingers she used to deftly undo the fastening of his jeans.

Words were no longer needed, actions speaking far louder than anything they could've said.

Sated and content, Abby wrapped her arms around him when he collapsed atop of her. She smiled at him drowsily when he drew the blanket folded neatly over the back of the sofa over them both, nestling into his arms as though she belonged there.

He kissed the top of her forehead and cradled her close, both falling asleep, gladly putting the stress of the past few days behind them.

*****

End


	7. Collateral Damage

Title: Made to be Broken – Collateral Damage  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Angst, Romance  
Spoilers: 'Collateral Damage'.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

*****

Alcohol and cigarette smoke had her waking with a start. If not for the familiar combination of sawdust and Old Spice lingering beneath the strange scent, Abby would've let the scream building up in her throat escape. Instead of screaming, she glanced at the lit up display of her alarm clock before groggily turning over to face him, her nose crinkling at her companion.

Gibbs stared back at her, his blue eyes gleaming in the light spilling into her bedroom from the street outside.

"Gibbs...?"

He silenced her with a desperate kiss, rolling her over and underneath him. He supported his weight with hands that came to rest either side of her against the mattress. "Abby."

So much emotion in that one word, Abby was sure she'd never heard her name spoken in such a way before. She kissed him back, taking care to keep the kiss light and sweet, needing to counteract the urgency she could feel vibrating through his body. "I'm here. It's okay." She ran her fingers through his silver hair, her palm resting against the back of his neck as she tilted her face up to his.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, his arms trembling. Abby drew him down, wrapping her own arms around him, encouraging him silently to rest more fully against her. Shifting slightly, he moved to rest his head on her chest, curling his body to fit hers as she wrapped her limbs around him, holding him in place.

They lay together for a while, neither willing to break the silence that had settled over them. Abby ran her hands through his hair, down his back. She let them slip under the material of his shirt, stroking the warm skin beneath.

"I need you to do something for me, Abs." His voice was muffled against her but still seemed loud. His breathing was ragged, his own hands beginning a slow exploration of her body, slipping beneath the Victorian-style nightgown she wore with practised ease.

"I'd do anything for you," she murmured quietly. She met his gaze with the smallest of smiles on her face when he pushed himself up to look at her. "You know I would."

Appreciation flashed in his eyes and he caught her lips again in a searing kiss that spoke volumes. Drawing back, he stroked a tendril of hair back from her face, his fingers skimming over the smooth skin of her cheek in a lingering caress. "You won't like it," he warned, his expression solemn. "You won't be able to tell anyone else. Not Tony, not McGee, not Ziva."

A glimmer of apprehension appeared on her face but disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by such a look of trust that took his breath away. "Okay."

"Okay? Just like that?"

"You wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," came her simple reply. Abby stroked her fingers through his hair, soothing both her nerves and his anxiety as tenderly as she could. "What do you want me to do?"

He shook his head, leaning down to press his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. "It can wait till tomorrow. Go back to sleep."

Her arms moved and tightened when he started to draw away, her eyes locking with and holding his in the dim light. "Stay with me?"

For a moment, he hesitated, part of him wanting to go back to his own house, to sit in his basement and brood some more and make a dent in the new bottle of bourbon he had stored away. He didn't want to taint their time together with his more maudlin thoughts, didn't want to let the darkness in his soul contaminate the brightness he could see in his.

Then again, the direction his thoughts had taken seemed to suggest he'd drunk enough.

"Okay." He leaned in to kiss her once more before easing her arms from around him and moving away. "Let me grab a quick shower first. I stink."

"I know." She smiled softly, her eyes sparkling. "I didn't want to say…"

He grinned at the mischief on her face, skirting his fingertips over her ribs where he knew she was ticklish before getting off the bed. "Go back to sleep."

"When you join me," Abby countered, snuggling back into the pillows but keeping her eyes open.

Sure enough, when he returned ten minutes later, it was to find his lover still watching the bathroom door, waiting for him, even though her eyelids drooped and she yawned more than once in the time it took him to walk from the bathroom door to the bed.

Slipping in under the covers beside her, it wasn't long until he had his arms full, her head nestled in the crook of his neck as her hot breath warmed his skin.

He didn't fall asleep for a while, his mind still spinning and his gut still churning, but simply being in her presence helped. Listening to the sound of her steady breathing, feeling the warmth of her pressed against him, Gibbs let himself slowly follow her into slumber.

****

End


	8. Cloak

Title: Made to be Broken 8 – Cloak

Author: Jo. R

Rating: FR-13

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Romance, Angst

Spoilers: 'Cloak'.

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

*****

Lying to her friends was something she would never enjoy, something that she was never comfortable with. Knowing she was making Gibbs proud, and helping catch a spy responsible for the death of a fellow NCIS Agent, however, made it almost worthwhile.

Abby Sciuto sat in the interrogation room, staring blinding at the one-sided glass in front of her.

She wasn't seeing her reflection, or trying to look through the glass to see beyond into the small control room behind it. She wasn't really seeing anything, her mind a million miles away.

She was touched by the disbelief she'd seen on the faces of her friends, pleased they had such faith in her that they didn't believe she could possibly be the traitor in their midst. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David had almost stepped forward to stop them from leading her off in handcuffs and it had warmed her heart to see it was only a look from their boss that kept them in line.

Even Gibbs, though, hadn't been able to mask the look of discomfort on his face when the handcuffs were clasped around her wrists.

Glancing down at them now, she winced a little at the bruising already making itself known against her pale skin. They'd been a little tighter than she'd normally have liked them to be, not that she'd ever had cause to wear them outside of the bedroom before. Gibbs wouldn't be happy that she'd been hurt, even in such a little way, and she almost wished she'd been wearing a long-sleeve shirt so she could hide it from him.

Tim McGee had been worried, too – shocked and in complete denial, to be fair to her former lover. She'd been both warmed and unsure about his reaction to her arrest; there'd been something on his face that suggested his concern was more than just that of a friend and colleague.

A sigh escaped her and she leaned back in her chair, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling.

It needed a new coat of paint, Abby thought to herself. There were a couple of visible cracks in the existing paintwork and her mind was suddenly full of an image of a few flakes of paint fluttering down and landing on the head of one of their agents during an intense interrogation.

The thought made her giggle, a little more than she probably should've done when the agent in her mind morphed into her lover and she found herself imaging his extremely unhappy response.

The sound of the door opening jolted her from her thoughts and she schooled her expression into a serious one, looking expectedly to the doorway.

She wasn't disappointed.

Abby lowered her gaze to the top of the table, unsure how he wanted to play it. He'd told her he wouldn't be the one to question her when the time came, that he couldn't rely on his ability to stay detached enough to fool the true spy into believing she was truly a suspect.

"Abs." His voice, quiet and controlled, was a lot closer than she was expecting and Abby jumped in her seat, lifting her gaze when he sat on the edge of the table, leaning in so his body blocked the view anyone watching from the other side of the glass had of her.

"Gibbs." She kept her voice low, looking up into his blue eyes questioningly.

"You okay?" With the hand that wasn't supporting his weight, he pushed a lock of hair back from her face, his fingers lingering against the soft skin of her cheek. "This isn't too much?"

She let one shoulder rise and fall in a casual shrug. "It's necessary," she reminded him quietly. "You shouldn't be here."

A brief smile crossed his face. "Just wanted to check you were okay."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Her eyes darted meaningfully to the one-sided mirror behind him. "If the wrong person's watching…"

"No one's there. No one's listening." His fingers moved, forming a familiar sign against her cheek that made her smile in spite of the situation.

"Then under different circumstances, this might be fun." Abby arched an eyebrow and licked her lips, 'accidentally' catching the tip of his finger with her tongue just before he reluctantly let his hand drop. "You should go, though," she finished with a disappointed sigh. "People'll talk if you're in here too long."

Gibbs gave her a small nod and a quick smile before slipping off the table and moving towards the door with the agile grace she'd come to admire. He hesitated before opening the door and leaving the room, one hand moving into another familiar gesture that made her smile and warmed her insides, melting any doubts she might have let linger otherwise.

Lifting a hand from the table, Abby mimicked the sign, her eyes bright with a smile she tried to keep from forming on her lips. 'I love you, too'.

*****

End.


	9. Dagger

Title: Made to be Broken 9 - Dagger  
Author: Jo. R  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-Ep, Angst, Romance  
Spoilers: Dagger  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She was standing by his desk when the team filed in, their faces solemn after the night's events. Without a word, Abby Sciuto took hold of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' uninjured hand and led him towards the elevators at the back of the bullpen.

The others would assume she was marching him off to Ducky, insisting that their resident Doctor patch up the injuries he'd sustained since he'd refused treatment from the paramedics at the scene.

It was an assumption she would let them make.

The moment the doors to the elevator slid shut behind them with a gentle hiss, Abby reached out and hit the emergency stop button, the palm of her hand hurting with the force she'd used.

As soon as they were bathed in the familiar half-glow of the emergency lights, she turned to her lover with a worried frown on her face, reaching for his injured hand and cradling it gently with both of her own.

After staring at it for a few minutes, prodding gently much to his dismay, her gaze rose to meet his, her eyes suspiciously bright. "You're going to need stitches."

"It's just a scratch." Gibbs tried pulling his hand back but Abby tightened her hold, an eyebrow arching in response.

"It's a bullet wound, Jethro." He winced visibly when she said his name; she rarely used his first name even since they'd become lovers and usually only then when she was either very happy or very pissed.

"Ducky can take care of it," he said after a short pause, hoping it would appease her.

It didn't.

She continued to glower at him but let go of his hand with one of hers, reaching up to push his silver hair away from the wound on his forehead. "You could've been killed," she murmured, her voice steady even though her hand trembled.

He tensed, remembering all too well how close it'd been. Remembering how he'd had no choice but to take the life of a fellow agent to save his own amongst many others. "I wasn't."

His curt tone did nothing but annoy her further and Abby's green eyes narrowed, her features arranging themselves into a scowl. "Michelle died because of what she did, because there was no other choice. If you start beating yourself up about it, I swear to God I'll whip your ass from here to Stillwater and get your father to whip it right back."

While the mental image her words conjured might've amused him any other day, it did little to ease the dark mood that had settled over him since Michelle Lee had died. There was a little girl in the building somewhere, a child who still needed to be told that her guardian – big sister, mother, carer – was not coming back.

And, try as Abby might to persuade him otherwise, it was his bullet that had killed her.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Gee, big surprise." She let her hand, her shoulders slumping. "You trusted me enough to let me know what you suspected. Trust me enough now not to shut me out." She waited a moment, waiting – hoping – he would break the silence first but eventually did it herself with a heavy sigh, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I thought it'd be different now. I thought maybe you'd at least try not to shut me out. Guess I was wrong."

She turned away from him to reactivate the elevator, genuinely surprised when his hand reaching out to cover the switch prevented her from doing so. Keeping her back to him, Abby stared at the fresh blood from his wound, her heart leaping as her mind reminded her just how close she'd come to losing him.

His other arm, the uninjured one, wrapped around her waist and Gibbs drew her back to lean against him, his lips nuzzling her temple when she let her head fall back against his shoulder. "I don't mean to shut you out," he murmured, kissing just above her ear lightly. "Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad, you idiot." She closed her eyes, letting the tension slip from her body as he cradled her gently. "I just love you. When you're hurt, I hurt. And I know you're hurting now even though you don't want me to know you are. I know you're blaming yourself for what happened and you shouldn't. It's horrible and it's tragic but it's not your fault. You might've pulled the trigger, Gibbs, but Michelle was the one to load the gun. If she hadn't done what she did, she would still be alive. I know they had her sister or her daughter or whoever she is but if she'd come to us, if she'd come to you… There were other things she could've done, Gibbs. You're not responsible for the decisions she made."

While what she said made sense to him on one level, it wasn't what she said as much as the knowledge that she was there to share it with him that helped ease the ache in his heart just a little.

"This is why I'd be lost without you, Abs." He turned her carefully, not wanting to aggravate his wounded hand. When she faced him, he used his good hand to tilt her face upwards, leaning down to cover her lips lightly with his own, thanking her without words, silently trying to convey how much she meant to him.

They broke apart after a few moments and Gibbs reluctantly re-activated the elevator, letting it continue on its journey towards the autopsy bay where their anxious friend would be waiting.

He knew he could count on Ducky to fix him physically and he knew Abby would always be there to help him with everything else.

*****

End.


	10. Road Kill

Title: Made to be Broken 10 – Road Kill  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Smut  
Spoilers: Road Kill  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

He waited until he was sure his agents had all gone home, patiently sitting at his desk, biding his time until Tony coaxed Ziva and McGee away from their desks with the promise of pizza and beer. His senior agent did ask him to join them but Gibbs declined as they'd known he would. They'd asked Abby but she'd given a distracted 'maybe', having discovered a new lead on a case for another team that she wanted to unravel before she left for the night.

Gibbs didn't mind. It gave him time to sit and think and plan.

When the bell of the elevators at the far end of the bullpen signalled its arrival, Gibbs felt his shoulders tense but kept his head bowed, listening intently to the footsteps of the person who disembarked.

Abby's familiar footsteps made him smile and he closed the file he'd been half-heartedly reading, leaning back in his chair to watch her approach.

From the bounce in her step and the smile on her face, he knew she'd solved whatever problem had been given to her and had passed the results on to the team in question.

"Hey, Gibbs! Thought you'd have gone home already." She stopped at his desk, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. "You didn't wait for me, did you?" When he didn't answer and merely reached for his badge and gun, Abby's smile brightened ten-fold. "You waited! That's so sweet!

As he gathered his coat from the back of his chair, Abby glanced around to make sure no one was around. Satisfied they were alone, she stepped into his personal space, lifted her arms and drew his mouth down to hers for a quick, open-mouthed kiss.

He gave her a small smile when she took a step back, watching her intently as he shrugged into his coat. After a few moments of silent study, her smile began to falter and she looked at him through uncertain eyes.

"Gibbs...? Everything okay?"

Instead of answering, he put his arm around her, leading her from his desk towards the front elevators with a hand to the small of her back. He was conscious of the sidelong glances she kept throwing him but held his tongue, waiting until they were safe and secure behind the metal doors of the elevator heading down to the ground floor before breaking his silence.

He crowded her against the far wall, a hand either side of her head. His body pressed against hers, hard and warm, and he felt more than saw the shiver that ran through her.

"You think you need a clone, Abby?" He murmured, his voice low as he leaned in to speak against her ear. "One of me isn't enough for you?"

"I didn't mean that. You know I didn't..." She swallowed hard, her eyes widening as his normally light eyes darkened to midnight blue.

His smile was more of a smirk, one hand moving from the elevator wall to curl around her hip, drawing her against him more firmly. She gasped at the feel of him against her, her tongue darting out to moisten dry lips.

His breath was hot against her ear and she shuddered, her head falling back against the wall of the elevator as she tried to hold her body still to keep from pushing against him more than she already was. "We're gonna find out just how much you can handle, Abs. My money's on one of me being more than enough."

*****

Anticipation made it almost impossible to sit still. She sat in the car beside him, her hands clasped on her lap. She kept throwing glances at him, hoping to find him looking back at her, but she was disappointed each time to find his gaze fixed firmly on the road ahead.

He hadn't spoken since moving away from her just before the elevator doors opened. He hadn't touched her since pressing her against the elevator wall and it was driving her crazy.

Her stomach twisted and clenched, heat spreading through her even as frustration coursed through her body.

She forced herself to concentrate on the passing scenery in an attempt at getting her mind off the man sitting beside her and was moderately successful – until Gibbs decided he didn't like her being able to distract herself and started her by settling a heavy hand on her bare knee.

Abby both cursed and thanked her lucky stars for whatever had made her decide to where one of her shorter skirts that morning, though she bit down on her bottom lip to keep any sound from escaping as his fingers moved higher, dipping under the material to stroke the smooth, skin of her upper thighs.

She closed her eyes tightly, focusing entirely on the sensation of his fingertips, savouring the sensation of his gentle touch. When his hand moved higher, fingers almost brushing her through her underwear, Abby squeezed her thighs shut, opening one lidded eye to glare at him.

"Not while you're driving," she warned, her voice hoarse.

His slow, easy smirk should have annoyed her but, irritatingly, didn't. "I can multi-task."

Deciding two could play at the game he'd chosen, Abby gave him a sweet smile before releasing his hand only to cross her legs demurely. "I'd prefer to have your full attention.

"You'll have it soon enough." Both of his hands on the wheel, Gibbs let his attention return to the road ahead. His foot moved on the gas pedal and the car pushed forward, faster, taking them towards their destination just that little bit quicker.

*****

She expected him to make his move as soon as the front door was closed behind them.

He didn't.

He reached behind her to lock the door before taking her hand, leading her wordlessly up the stairs towards his room without so much as a backwards glance. Once he'd closed that door behind them, he ushered her over to the bed and left her standing there for a few moments as he moved to the closet at the other side of the room.

Unsure of what she was supposed to do, Abby sat down on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with her fingers as a sudden bout of nervousness warred with her earlier frustration. She felt the bed dip as he moved to kneel on it behind her just moments before her eyes were covered by a dark strip of heavy material.

"Gibbs?" His name was almost a gasp, surprise in her voice as he fastened the blindfold around her head, careful not to trap her hair in the tight knot. "What...?"

"Shh." His teeth nipped at her ear lobe before he trailed his tongue down her neck, biting gently. "No speaking, Abs. That's an order."

A shiver ran through her and she clasped her hands together, her mind on full alert as her four unhindered senses worked to compensate for her lack of vision. She wanted to ask questions, wanted to know what he was planning to do but she bit her lip against it, determined not to let him down by disobeying a direct command.

It felt like they were finally getting back on solid ground after the events of the last few months. Michelle's betrayal and subsequent death had weighed heavily on both of their minds, his due to the guilt he felt and hers due to concern for him. They'd of course made love in the time between his asking her to play the role of spy and Michelle's subsequent exposure and death but there'd been something lacking, both of them either using sex as a distraction or being distracted during the act.

Not that it hadn't been pleasant; it was never anything other than satisfying with Gibbs as her lover but still, she'd missed the feeling of having his full attention, of it being about them and only them rather than an escape from a situation they couldn't change. It had reminded her of the beginning of their relationship, of the no-strings agreement they'd fallen into when the team had been separated and she hadn't liked it one bit.

Her attention returning back to the moment, Abby couldn't keep back a small sigh as his hands kneaded her shoulders through the thin material of her shirt. She let her head fall forward, smiling to herself when she felt his lips against her nape, a small sound of protest escaping her when she felt him move away.

The bed moved, signalling he was no longer on it with her, but she wasn't without his touch for long. He'd walked to stand in front of her – no, kneel, she decided, when he lifted one foot and let it rest against what she assumed was his leg while he worked at the fastenings.

He took the first boot off, then the second, running his hands up and down her legs from knee to toe several times before removing the knee-length socks she was wearing. His fingers skirted over her calves, caressing, squeezing, massaging the muscles there before he stood and urged her silently to do the same.

She let her arms fall to her sides, standing as still as she could as he undressed her with a seemingly unending supply of patience. She was aware of every button being released from its hole on her shirt, of the way his fingers dipped between the open shirt to brush against her skin every so often. She shivered as the shirt was pushed down her arms, falling to the floor where it was forgotten, the cool air in the room washing over her heated skin like a caress. She gasped when his hands moved to cup her breasts through the lacy cups of her bra, her head lolling to the side as his mouth returned to her skin, nibbling and biting, licking and kissing his way from one shoulder to the other.

His hands slid around her back, making short work of unfastening the clasp of her bra. His fingers trailed the straps down her arms, pushing it away to join the shirt on the floor. He left a trail of slow kisses from her shoulder to her left breast, taking her strained nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth and tongue and lips as the fingers of one hand teased its twin.

Her knees felt weak, jolts of searing pleasure running from her chest to her centre. She pressed her legs together, her breath coming in short pants as his mouth moved to her right breast to repeat the same exquisite torture.

It seemed like an eternity before he returned his attention to the task of undressing her but Abby wasn't about to complain. She took advantage of the moment to catch her breath only to lose it again as the fastening on her skirt was undone, the zipper lowered and his warm hands moved to rest against her hips. His fingers flexed against her hips and she shivered. She opened her mouth to say something – what, she wasn't entirely sure – only to have his mouth press against hers, his tongue caressing hers, fighting with it. One hand moved to clasp the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he held her just where he wanted her.

The other hand wasn't idle, either, his fingers deftly dipping beneath the scrap of lace she wore. She started when he touched her, two fingers slipping inside her. His thumb joined them, sliding over her clit as she moaned into his mouth and tried to push herself closer.

"Easy, Abs." She felt his grin against her skin when he tore his mouth away from hers to kiss her bare shoulder. "We've got all night."

The hand between her legs withdrew and she moaned again, this time in disappointment. She sighed when she felt both of his hands return to her hips, temporarily appeased as he slipped her underwear over her hips and down her legs. She gasped when she found herself being pushed down gently, his arms wrapping around her as he lowered to her to the bed.

"Shuffle back, Abs. Get in the middle." His voice was hoarse, strained. Abby allowed herself a small smile as she did what she was told, pleased the situation was affecting him as much as it was her.

It took a while for him to join her but when he did, she figured out why. His warm, naked body covered hers for a moment, his lips covering hers in a slow, deep kiss that was tender enough to bring tears to her covered eyes. While she was distracted with that, his hands moved quickly and she found first her left then her right wrists secured to the bed posts above her head.

Not handcuffs, she realised, unless he had a pair made out of soft cloth and not cool steel. She twisted her hands, taking hold of the material in an attempt at figuring out what it was. While she was doing that, he slid down her body, leaving a trail of hot kisses in his wake.

He settled himself on the bed between her legs, a hand on either thigh. He ran his fingers over her legs, kissing up on inner thigh and down the other, avoiding the place she wanted him most until she moaned her disapproval and twisted her hips.

She was rewarded with his hand returning to caress her, first one finger then two slipping inside her in a steady rhythm. She arched her hips, trying to encourage him deeper but he responded by withdrawing his fingers completely, waiting a few moments until she stilled herself before he returned his attention to the task.

His thumb joined his fingers, caressing her clit. He held her hips still with the other arm and lowered his head, his tongue replacing his thumb, her moans growing hoarser as he gave just enough to drive her crazy but never enough to send her careening over the edge.

She shifted restlessly beneath his ministrations and after what seemed both too long and not long enough, he changed position, sliding his body up against hers, stopping to lavish her breasts with kisses before covering her mouth with his own once more.

"Still think you could handle two of me, Abs?" His breath was hot against her lips and she could feel him, hard and thick between her thighs. She arched her hips but he moved his hips away, holding himself still above her.

"One of you is more than enough. Please." She shifted, twisted and sighed when he settled himself against her once more, the heavy warmth of him soothing her more than she would ever be able to say. "I want to see you."

He didn't answer but moved instead, pushing into her, drawing one of her legs up around his hips. His sigh was masked by her moan and he held himself still for a moment, enjoying the feel of being joined so completely with her once more.

It was only when she shifted her hips again and clenched her muscles around him that he started to move, gently at first, determined to take his time and draw it out for both of them. He dipped his head to her chest, nuzzling one breast and then the other, his hands covering every inch of her, moulding themselves to her curves.

He felt and saw her body flush, pale skin taking on a warm hue as she wrapped her legs around him and did her best to meet him thrust for thrust. She tried to quicken the pace and he watched her arms twist in their restraints, trying to free her hands so she could touch him, so she could run her hands over him and force him to move deeper, harder, faster.

He waited until he was sure they were both close before lifting one hand and removing the blindfold from over her eyes. Heated blue eyes locked with darkened green moments before he kissed her desperately, deeply, pouring everything he felt into the kiss.

Abby kissed him back just as fiercely and when he reached up to undo one of her wrists, she wasted no time in running her hand over his slickened back, her nails skimming down his spine to his ass, pressing him closer as she pushed herself up off the bed.

He didn't get to unfasten her other wrist but neither of them were about to protest. He felt her body tense and slid a hand between them, a well-timed caress sending her over the edge. Her release, the feeling of her muscles squeezing so tight around him was enough to make him let go and join her.

It was a while before he recovered enough to roll off her, a few moments more before he could lift an arm to free her still-tied wrist. When she was free, Abby rolled over and curled around him, throwing a leg over him after pulling the tangled sheets up and over their cooling bodies.

She pressed a kiss to his chest just above his heart and smiled when his arms wound around her tightly.

"Don't need anyone else, clone or not," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against the scattering of hair on his chest. "You're the only one for me."

Satisfied and touched by her words, Gibbs pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head and gladly followed her into a deep, satisfied sleep.

*****

End.


	11. Silent Night

Two chapters for the price of one tonight - as a thank you to everyone following, and as proof that I'm doing my bestest to catch up so it runs alongside the current season :)

Title: Made to Be Broken 11 – Silent Night  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Romance, Post-ep  
Spoilers: Silent Night  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She wasn't surprised when he didn't come back to NCIS to celebrate Christmas with the team by watching the movies Tony DiNozzo had chosen. Disappointed, yes, but not really surprised.

Abby Sciuto would have been more surprised had their boss – and her lover – Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs actually attended the event.

She herself stayed until the early hours, missing his presence but enjoying the time she spent with her friends. She'd have Gibbs all to herself on Christmas Day so let herself join in the laughter and the teasing, giggling with Ziva while Tim McGee and Tony exchanged quips back and forth only to have to the good Doctor, the one and only Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, finish the verbal war with a put-down that silenced them both.

She ate too much popcorn, drank too much of Tony's 'special' eggnog and bestowed a liberal amount of hugs and kisses on her friends before getting into the taxi waiting to take her home.

Half-way there, blaming the eggnog, she asked the driver to change direction and headed for Gibbs' home instead of her apartment.

Christmas was a difficult time for him; she knew that better than most. It reminded him of his first wife and child, of Shannon and Kelly, who had died while he'd been away from home, fighting for his country.

She knew he couldn't look at a Christmas tree without remembering his daughter's excitement, knew he probably thought of Shannon wistfully every time he caught a glimpse of a mistletoe hanging above some loved-up couples heads.

The knowledge didn't make her jealous as it would do – had done – some other women. She knew what Shannon meant to him and accepted that; if anything, it just made her sad to know how much he was hurting.

To know there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She tipped the cab driver generously and carefully picked her way up the recently shovelled path to the front door of Gibbs' house. She didn't knock, just opened the unlocked door and let herself in, closing it and locking it behind her before kicking off her shoes.

She saw the light was on in the basement through the gap between the door and the floor but hesitated, not wanting to intrude if he needed time alone. She chose to head to the kitchen instead to make herself a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine jolt would help break through the fuzz around her mind left by too much eggnog.

Abby knew his mind would be on his daughter if not his first wife. Their most recent case, and her involvement in it, had led them to reuniting a father with his estranged daughter after years of not knowing one another. She'd known what he was planning to do when he'd volunteered to taken Ned Quinn home but hadn't confronted him about it; Gibbs was a private man and wouldn't have appreciated her letting his agents know of his intentions.

She fixed herself a cup of coffee and made sure there was plenty keeping warm in the pot should Gibbs want some later. After adding a generous amount of cream and sugar, which she knew he'd only started to buy in for her, she carried her cup through to the living room and curled up in what was quickly becoming her chair, smiling at the sight of the latest edition of the forensics magazine she preferred already sitting out on the coffee table as if waiting for her.

There was no tree, no decorations but the open fire had already been prepared, ready for lighting. It was as if Christmas had by-passed the Gibbs household and while she wasn't surprised, Abby was a little sad about that – for her lover more than for herself.

Shaking herself mentally, she turned her attention to the magazine on her lap.

****

An hour later, when Gibbs pulled himself away from his boat and found her in the living room, Abby was sound asleep, her mouth open slightly as the magazine slipped unnoticed from her lap to the floor.

He waited for a moment, expecting to feel something negative about her presence in his house on Christmas Eve but was pleasantly surprised when it didn't come. If anything, the sight of her looking so comfortable and at home in his living room made his heart feel lighter, his expression softening into a tender smile.

He debated for a moment whether to leave her sleeping peacefully in her chair but decided she was only going to get a sore neck if she stayed any longer in the position she was in. Given she planned to be at church first thing in the morning and that he had plans for her in the afternoon, he figured neither of them would be happy with that.

Approaching her quietly, he picked up the magazine and put it back on the coffee table next to her empty cup. Then, kneeling beside the chair, he leaned in to push one of her pigtails back from her face, his fingertips skimming the soft skin of her cheek as she stirred but didn't fully wake.

Grinning to himself, Gibbs closed the distance between them and pressed his lips gently against hers, drawing back just as she started to respond, the grin on his face growing wider when she opened sleepy green eyes to look at him.

"Time to go to bed, Abs," he told her softly. "You want to be up early for Mass tomorrow."

"Hmmm." She blinked at him sleepily, a small smile curving up her lips when he stood and held out a hand for her. Letting him pull her to her feet, she wrapped her arms around him and let her head rest against his shoulder. "I should go home. Don't wanna wake you up when I leave."

He shrugged and wound his own arms around her waist. "I don't mind. " He leaned in to drop a kiss on her forehead. "I'd like it if you stayed."

It was obviously the right thing to say, as a brilliant smile lit up her face and caused her eyes to sparkle. Standing on her tiptoes, Abby brushed her own lips against his in a gentle kiss and let him lead her from the room, switching off the lights as they made their way upstairs.

Gibbs watched her undress, smiling to himself when she immediately reached for one of his sweatshirts in lieu of the nightdress she'd taken to keeping at his. He let her use the en-suite first and half-expected her to already be asleep when he returned.

Instead she stood at the foot of the bed, holding a piece of paper in her hands. He noted her furrowed brow and joined her by the end of the bed.

The drawing Ned Quinn had given him was held carefully in her hands.

"Where did you get this?" She asked quietly, her eyes shining as she tore her gaze away from the sketched images of themselves and their friends. "Who did it?"

"Quinn gave it to me." He took it off her carefully, glancing down at the faces of those he loved. "Just before he went to see his daughter."

Gibbs set the picture back on the dresser where he'd put it earlier, still not entirely sure why he'd brought it up to his room instead of leaving it in his basement or tucked away in a drawer somewhere.

"It's beautiful," Abby managed, wrapping her arms around him tightly when he returned to stand beside her. "It reminds me of the drawings Kate did."

He kissed the top of her head and cradled her close. "I thought so, too."

They stood in silence for a few moments, thinking of Kate, of the others they'd lost over the years. Eventually, a yawn from Abby spurned him into moving and he ushered her over to the bed, wrapping her in the blankets before walking to the other side and sliding in beside her.

She moved into his arms almost immediately, her head against his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her automatically. "You should get a frame for that picture," she murmured, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Maybe put it up in your basement."

"In my basement?" He let his own eyes slide shut, his body relaxing under the heavy warmth of hers. "Why there?"

"So you can see it when you need to," she mumbled sleepily, half-way towards unconsciousness. "To remind you you've got a family, even if it's not the one you thought you'd have."

She was asleep before he could comment, her words staying with him as he followed her into an easy slumber.

Like Ned Quinn, Gibbs knew he'd been given a second chance.

****

End.


	12. Caged

Title: Made to be Broken 12 - Caged  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep/Missing Scene, Romance  
Spoilers: Caged  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

"So you're my boss, hmm?"

The voice startled her, low with intent, so close to her ear that she couldn't fight the shiver that crept down her spine even as she jumped in surprise. Abby Sciuto glanced over her shoulder, unsurprised to see Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs standing behind her but very surprised that his body was surrounding hers so intimately in the not-entirely-private space of her lab.

"Erm... No?" She returned her attention to the screen in front of her, trying to focus on the work she'd been doing rather than the sensation of his front pressed against her back or his breath hot against her neck.

"And you like the new, assertive version of McGee?"

She shook her head in denial, her breath catching in her suddenly dry throat when he snaked a hand around her, fingers slipping easily under her lab coat to burrow under the t-shirt she wore. He stroked her stomach in silence for a few moments before his hand rose. She bit her bottom lip against a cry as his fingers closed around a nipple through the lace of her bra, fingers and thumb pinching, rolling the sensitive bud until a small sound escaped her. "Gibbs..."

"Something wrong, Abs? You look a little flushed." His hand moved across to her other breast, giving it to the same treatment as she melted back against him. "You seem to be forgetting that you already have a boss, one who's plenty assertive enough for you. Maybe you need reminding of that."

His other hand moved to rest on her hip, lingering there for a few moments before moving to the front fastening of her pants. He'd managed to get the button undone and the zipper part-way down before her hand moved to stop him, her head falling back to rest on his shoulder.

"Not here," she murmured, her face flushed in anticipation. "You always said not here."

His hand hesitated and he nipped her neck with his teeth before drawing back to murmur an instruction in her ear. "Elevator. One minute."

He released his hold on her, taking a few seconds to regain his composure before stalking out of the lab. Abby had just enough time to straighten her clothes in preparation for turning to face the camera before she had to follow, anticipation rolling in her stomach at the thought of what was to come.

****

He gave the elevator doors enough time to close behind her before pressing the button for the lower level. As soon as the small metal box started to move, he hit the emergency stop, bathing them both in a familiar blue light.

Gibbs wasted no time at all in crowding her against the back wall, a hand either side of her preventing her from moving away even if she wanted to. He kissed her hard, his tongue prying her lips apart easily. She kissed him back but made no attempt to take control of the kiss other than to lift her arms, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder through his suit jacket while the other came to rest at the back of his neck.

Breaking apart, breathing heavily, Gibbs met her faintly stunned green gaze with cool blue eyes. "You still need reminding, Abs? Or is it starting to come back to you?"

"Oh, I'm starting to remember." Her lips curved upwards in a slight smile. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were jealous, Gibbs." Her smile widened when he pushed himself against her, a thigh pushing between hers, forcing her to spread her legs. "You know I've got no interest in McGee. I haven't for a long time and definitely not since we started this."

He leaned in to kiss her, taking his time to savour her rather than devour her. "Just checking, Abs. The others don't seem to think you're over McGee."

"The others are wrong." She kissed him softly. "And they don't know I have you."

He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, his hands rising to push the white lab coat off her shoulders, down her arms. The discarded material floated to the floor and Abby's arms rose to wind around his neck.

She bit back a gasp when he tore his mouth away to leave a trail of biting kisses along the line of her neck, his hands slipping beneath the material of her t-shirt once more. She let her head fall back, her eyes sliding shut as he teased and tormented, his hands moving to the fastening of her pants. She leaned heavily against the elevator wall, not sure she'd be able to stand otherwise, and bit her lip hard to keep back a moan when his fingers moved to stroke her past the barrier of her underwear.

"Oh, God..."

She felt his lips curve up against her neck, felt his tongue dart out to lick at her sweat-slickened pulse-point. "Just reminding you who's boss, Abs." He bit down on her neck as his fingers sent her over the edge, her orgasm drawing a strangled moan from her throat.

He gave her only a little while to recover, his hands pushing down her pants and underwear as her body trembled. When she'd recovered enough to help, Abby fumbled with the fastening of his pants, releasing his erection from confinement. She ran her fingers over him, stroking, teasing, smiling even as residual tremors coursed through her when he thrust into her hand.

Gibbs' hands moved to lift her, helping her tilt her hips as he slid home. He muffled his groan against her neck, listening to the sound of her pants and breathless moans, taking them as encouragement to move within her. She rocked her hips, taking him deeper with every thrust, her hands clutching at his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh even through the material between them.

"Mine, Abs, you're mine," he muttered, lifting his head to kiss her hard, his tongue plundering her mouth in sync with their lower bodies.

Her agreement was a low moan. He slid a hand between them, caressing her clit, sending her over the edge again with a wordless cry that could have been an attempt at his name. The feel of her tightening around him, of her muscles contracting and her body trembling in her arms, Gibbs felt his control shatter and followed her into oblivion.

They leaned against the wall heavily, both panting, both holding one another tightly. He nuzzled her brow, his breath hot against her clammy skin.

"Intense," Abby murmured when she was able to form words once more. She lifted her head, dazed green eyes meeting sated blue. She smiled at him drowsily.

He gave her a small grin in agreement and leaned forward to kiss her sweetly. Pulling back, they took time to redress one another, exchanging soft kisses and gentle smiles.

Once he was sure they'd composed themselves, he hit the emergency stop again to reactive the elevator. Hitting the button for her lab again, they stood in silence as the elevator stopped at morgue level before going up again, the metal doors sliding open when they reached her floor.

"Get ready to go home," he ordered quietly, staying in the metal box as she stepped out. "I'll meet you upstairs in ten minutes."

Abby gave him a sloppy salute and a mischievous wink. "Yes, Sir. You're the boss."

****

End


	13. Broken Bird

Title: Made to be Broken 13 – Broken Bird  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
Spoilers: Broken Bird  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She did an admirable job of holding it together until the whole nightmare was over. Abby Sciuto managed to wait until her lover, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, hung up after checking that their friend, Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard was safely within the walls of his house with his partner, Doctor Jordan Hampton before letting the events of the last few days wash over her.

Ducky being stabbed at a crime scene, his past being revealed to them, the panic that maybe they'd lose him – that maybe he'd lose himself.

She cuddled into Gibbs on the sofa in her apartment, pressing her face against his chest as she tried to keep the tears stinging her eyes from running freely down her face.

"It's okay, Abs. Duck's okay." He kissed the top of her head, his arms tightening around her. "We can go see him tomorrow if you want. I'm sure he'd love to see you. Maybe you could make some of your cupcakes or cookies. That'll cheer him up."

"He could've died, Gibbs." She tilted her head back, staring up at him with shining eyes. "What would we have done if he died?"

He opened his mouth to answer but hesitated. He wanted to be able to tell her that they'd grieve and be sad but ultimately get past it but he couldn't. Ducky was his best friend as well as their Medical Examiner; he'd worked with the man for over fifteen years while Abby had been with them for almost eleven. He could no more 'get over' Ducky's death than he could were anything to happen to his lover.

"I don't know, Abs," he said eventually. He kissed her forehead, then her nose before finally brushing his lips against hers. "We'd have to work through it but... It's not something I want to think about. It didn't happen."

"But it could happen." She blinked her suspiciously bright eyes. "He could get stabbed again, maybe at the next crime scene. Or it could be you or Tony or McGee or Ziva. Any one of you could get hurt when you're distracted processing a scene."

"Any one of us could get hurt crossing the street," he pointed out quietly. "Even you." He let his usual guard slip for a moment, letting her see just how the thought of losing her affected him. When Abby tilted her face up to his, Gibbs obliged her by leaning in to bestow a lingering kiss on her mouth. "If it makes you feel better, I'll make sure no one's left alone at a scene. I'll get one of the guys to stay with Ducky and Palmer and I'll make them pair up so none of my agents are alone, either. Would that help?"

"Are you including yourself in the pairing up thing?" She snuggled more fully against his side. "Because you know I'll get mad if you let anything happen to you, too."

"I'll include myself." He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Duck really will be okay, Abby. It'll take him a while to get back to his usual self but he'll be okay. He's stronger than we give him credit for."

They lapsed into silence for a few moments. When she shifted against him restlessly, he moved to lie down, stretching out along the couch with Abby lying down with her back against him. He kissed the back of her neck, his hands clasped lightly over her stomach.

"Ducky's like a father to me, you know." Abby's voice was sleepy, drowsy. "Ever since my Dad died, he's been there for me. Not that you haven't, but in a different way." A yawn interrupted her and he nuzzled her neck again, waiting for her to continue. "I don't know if I ever told him that. I don't know if he knows."

"He knows, Abs." If the looks Ducky had given him since discovering the two of them had romantic feelings for each other were anything to go by, Gibbs was one hundred percent certain his old friend knew. He hadn't come out right and told Ducky they were seeing each other but there'd been something different in the way Ducky spoke about Abby in Gibbs' presence, something that hinted at him knowing there was more going on than he was supposed to know. And the way he spoke, the looks he gave him definitely reminded Gibbs of the way Shannon's father had in the early days of their relationship. "If it'd make you feel better, you should tell him when we go see him tomorrow."

"Maybe." She yawned again and turned in the circle of his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Can we really go see him tomorrow?"

"If that's what you want." He tightened his arms around her, settling his head against the arm of the couch. "Get some sleep, Abs."

"Love you, Gibbs." She pressed a soppy kiss to his neck, her body curled up as much as it could get.

"Love you, too, Abby." He held her as she slipped into slumber, knowing it would be a while before he could follow her, the events of the last few days still too fresh in his mind.

****

End


	14. Love and War

Title: Made to be Broken 14 – Love and War  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff  
Spoilers: Love and War  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

"You wanted a 'Beary Smyles' in 1989?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs wound his arms around his lover as they lay in bed, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder. "I know you don't want the others to know how old you are, Abs, but by my counting, that would've made you... seventeen?"

Abby Sciuto snuggled further into his arms, her lips brushing his bare shoulder before she tilted her head back to look up at him. "I wanted to take it apart and see how it worked. Gloria thought I was insane but she sent Dad out to get me one anyway." Her smile slipped a little. "It was the last Christmas I spent at home, the last time we were all together."

He ran a hand down her back comfortingly before it settled on her bare hip. He remembered standing in line for Kelly's 'Beary Smyles' and could easily identify with Abby's father's wish to make sure his daughter was happy on Christmas Day morning.

His daughter Kelly had only been six at the time and she'd died two years later. He didn't think he'd ever forget the look on her face when she'd torn off the wrapping paper to find the box with the much-wanted teddy-bear though there'd been times when he wanted to. Times when he'd drank himself to oblivion to in order to try.

"Did you figure it out?" He asked quietly, putting the ghosts of the past to the back of his mind to concentrate on the woman lying in his arms, on the contentment he felt at simply being there with her. "How it worked?"

"I'd taken it apart and put it back together by lunch the next day." A trace of amusement lurked beneath the surface of her voice. "My brother figured that out when he tried to sneak into my room to steal the chocolate coins Aunt May gave us."

He waited for a moment, expecting her to continue the story. "How did he find out?" He pressed, his hand moving over her hip to encourage her to finish the story. "What did you do?"

She smirked, her green eyes sparkling with mirth. "I had my Uncle Ivan record a new message and rigged it to a sensor so it'd play as soon as it was set off. I left the bear on the floor opposite my door so when it opened... He heard my Uncle telling him he had five minutes to find me and apologise or he'd get the hiding of his life."

He grinned at the thought, imagining the terror her then eleven year old brother would have felt. "How did you get your Uncle to record the message?"

She shrugged and settled her head against his shoulder once again. "I cornered him when he'd had too much to drink on Christmas Day. Mom and Dad didn't know. All they saw was my brother running into the room to apologise before avoiding both me and Uncle Ivan for the rest of the holidays."

There were a few moments of silence while he let Abby drift in the happier memories of her past. After a while, he shifted, twisting so they were lying face to face, legs and bodies entwined as much as possible under the sheets they'd pulled up around themselves.

"I bet you were a cute kid," Gibbs told her, lifting a hand to touch her cheek tenderly. "A bundle of enthusiasm and intelligence no one could control."

She tilted her head into his palm, a smile curving her lips. "There'd be some who say I haven't changed much."

A small chuckle escaped him as he conceded the point. "You're not a kid, though. You're definitely all woman now."

As if to prove his point, the hand he had resting on her hip trailed upwards, stroking her pleasantly warm skin softly.

"I bet you were a serious kid. Studious, and helpful to Mom and Dad." She propped herself up on an elbow, gazing down at him tenderly. "I bet your best present was something your father made you. Maybe something you made together."

"You'd be right." He shifted to lay on his back when she pushed his shoulder lightly, hands reaching out to steady her as she straddled his hips. "I was always good with my hands."

Her smile was mischievous, her gaze molten as she settled herself over him. "That hasn't changed about you, either," she murmured, leaning down to kiss him softly as those hands of his moulded themselves to her curves.

Abby gazed down at him, pleased to see the shadowy sadness that had been present in his eyes for most of the case fade. She leaned down to kiss him soundly, determined to make some new memories of their own, content to let the past stay where it belonged.

****

End.


	15. Deliverance

Title: Made to be Broken 15 - Deliverance

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-15

Pairings: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Romance, Mild Angst.

Spoilers: Deliverance

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

Authors Note: I have no idea where this one came from. I was planning a fluffy story dealing with Franks' visit but no, the muse had other plans for this episode.

****

He waited for two hours, looking up with each creak he thought he heard on the stairs. Every time, it turned out to be his imagination playing tricks on him and Abby Sciuto failed to materialise.

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs downed the latest shot of bourbon he'd poured himself, slamming the glass down unapologetically. He stalked up the stairs out of his basement and grabbed his car keys from the table beside the front door on his way out.

He knew he shouldn't be driving but he didn't feel like he had much of a choice. The end of their last case had brought back so many memories, too many of them, and the one person he needed to see to help chase them away was deliberately keeping away from him.

Gibbs turned the key in the ignition and glanced in the rear view mirror before pulling off his drive.

He'd made it half-way off the drive before he caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye. He slammed his foot down on the break just before the back of his car hit hers and was out of the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him, before his mind had really registered what was going on.

He barely gave her time to get out of her own car before tangling his hands in her hair roughly, holding her in place as he kissed her hard, pressing his body against hers, hers against her car.

Abby held herself still and the effort it took her not to respond would have impressed him at any other time.

"You need coffee," Abby murmured when he eventually paused to take a breath. She refused to meet his gaze as she lifted her hands to untangle his hands from her hair. "And a breath mint. How much have you had to drink, Gibbs?"

"Enough." He let his hands drop to his sides, watching her carefully. When she walked towards his house, he followed, pausing only to make sure his car was locked. "You're mad at me."

She glanced at him then, a quick look over her shoulder as she led the way inside. "You lied to me."

"No, I didn't." His confusion was genuine and he crossed his arms over his chest when they reached the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe to watch her as she moved around his kitchen, fixing a fresh pot of coffee. "When did I lie to you?"

"By omitting the truth, you lied." She kept her back to him, hoping he wouldn't see the tremble in her hands as she picked two mugs from the cupboard and set them on the bench in front of her. "You should have told me about Rose."

Gibbs lifted a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I didn't know she was here."

"That's not what I meant, Gibbs." Abby shot him a quick look. "You should've told me what happened between the two of you."

"Nothing happened between us," he protested.

"That's my point." Her shoulders slumped as she waited impatiently for the coffee to brew. "How do you think I've felt having people talk about you all day? Having to listen to their theories as to who Rose was to you and whether or not her son is yours? Don't you think you could've spared five, ten minutes out of your schedule to tell me what was going on?"

He bit back a sigh and approached her quietly. He set a hand on the bench either side of her, careful not to touch her, knowing it wasn't what she wanted. "He's not my son, Abs. It wasn't like that with Rose. She... She was a friend. Nothing more."

"I'm not jealous." Her statement surprised him, just as the tremor in her voice when she spoke surprised him. "If that's what you're thinking, I'm not. I just... I love the guys but they came into my lab going on about how things would change if he was your son and how you couldn't have known about him or you would've told us... I felt hurt, Gibbs. They looked to me, expecting me to join in and all I could think about was how things would change between us and how much it hurt that Franks was obviously in on the secret and I wasn't."

He did wrap his arms around her then, nuzzling the side of her neck. "Nothing would change between us, Abs. I wouldn't let it." He held her in silence for a few moments, letting his words sink in. "And I didn't tell Mike. He already knew. I'm sorry I didn't come to you. I just... So many things were going through my head, Abby. Remembering Rose reminded me of Shannon and Kelly, of them not being here when I came home from that mission."

Abby nodded but said nothing. She moved out of his arms to pour their coffee, leaning against the bench after handing him a cup, watching him through her eyelashes. "Mike knows about us," she said after a pause, taking a sip from her coffee as she studied his reaction. "He was deliberately trying to wind you up in my lab."

"He tell you that in an email?" Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at her, the caffeine working its way quickly through his body, settling his nerves when it should have made him more anxious.

"Might've done." She tilted her head to the side. "Did you tell him or is it just something he picked up on himself?"

"Must've picked up on it himself." He swallowed another mouthful of coffee, savouring the strong flavour of it, the way the hot liquid ran down his throat. "Are we okay?"

She shrugged a shoulder and met his gaze. "We will be." Abby tilted her head to the side, concern replacing the hurt in her green eyes. "Are you okay?"

It was his turn to shrug. "I will be." He set his cup down on the table behind him and held his hand out for her, pleased – and relieved – when she took it. "Want to work on the boat for a while?"

The invitation was a peace-offering, an apology for not telling her the truth straight away. Her acceptance would be a peace-offering of sorts, too, an apology for not coming straight to his home when she knew he'd be counting on it.

"I'd like that."

She let him lead her down into the basement, pausing when he did. She stood on the last step as he turned to face her and kissed him back when his lips brushed hers.

Another ghost of the past laid to rest, she thought as she followed him over to the nearly complete boat.

One less they had to face in the future.

****

End.


	16. Bounce

Title: Made to be Broken 16 - Bounce

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-18 at most

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Romance

Spoilers: Bounce

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was not a stupid man. He sometimes liked to pretend he was, the image of joker fitting perfectly with the image of womaniser that had taken quite some time to perfect but that didn't mean it was truly who he was.

He stood in Abby Sciuto's lab, watching the NCIS Forensic Specialist wave her hands around, her gestures becoming more and more fidgety as her voice grew more and more panicked.

"Okay, tell me, I can take it." Abby looked at him expectedly, her green eyes wide and apprehensive.

Tony took a deep breath and tried, again, to tell her what was going on. "He's just upstairs..."

"Wait! No," Abby shook her head, sending her pigtails flying around her. "I can't."

A sigh escaping him, Tony moved closer, resting a hand against her back in an attempt at calming her down. "Rule 38," he told her quietly.

It took a split-second for her mind to remember the rule, a split-second in which he saw the panic and the fear replaced by relief and what looked like satisfaction.

"Oh." She took a moment to savour the news and an expression Tony couldn't decipher appeared on her face for the briefest of moments. "So, um, I processed the evidence from the crime scene, Tony..."

He let himself get carried away by the matter at hand, storing the information away to process at a later date. He'd made a mistake three years ago and had to fix it, with a little help from his friends, of course.

****

"I think Tony maybe suspects something." Abby sat in the bathtub behind her lover, her legs either side of him as she massaged his back and shoulders with soapy hands. She smiled when the hands travelling along her legs paused only for a moment before he resumed his own caress, from her knees down to her feet.

"What makes you think that?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs turned his head slightly, catching a small glimpse of her as she ran her hands down his back, an expression of concentration on her face as she worked at easing the tense muscles beneath her fingertips. "He say something to you?"

She shook her head, letting loose soft tendrils of hair that curled softly around her face in response to the moist heat in the bathroom. "Not really. He just had this look on his face when I was panicking about you going back to Mexico."

"Abs." Gibbs shook his head and captured one of her hands, bringing it around to his front so he could lift it to his lips and place a soft kiss against her palm. "You knew I wasn't going anywhere."

"I know." She leaned forward momentarily, her breasts pressing against his back as she cuddled into him. "But I had to pretend like I didn't and I think maybe Tony saw more than he bargained for when I was. He knows what you mean to me, Gibbs, he's not stupid. He doesn't know what I mean to you, but I think he might have a few theories."

"How does he know what I mean to you?" He covered her arms with his, keeping her pressed against him as warm water lapped at their bodies. "You talk to him about me?"

She exhaled in a puff of air he felt against his shoulder. "A couple of times. Before we started this," she added softly. "He's one of my best friends, Gibbs. I tell him stuff. When you were in Mexico, when you came back, when things ended between him and Jeanne... We went out or he came to mine or I went to his and we'd drink and talk and yeah, I told him how I feel about you. He was very supportive."

"Supportive?" He let go of her arms so he could turn to face her, water and bubbles sloshing around them against the sides of the tub. "He was supportive?"

The look on his face made her laugh. "What did you expect him to be?" She shook her head at the look on his face and shuffled forward, wrapping her legs around his hips so he could move back and stretch his own legs out in front of him. "He's my friend, Gibbs. He wants me to be happy. Said you'd be lucky to have me but if you never woke up and realised what was in front of him, he was going to steal me away when we hit forty-five if we were both still single."

"Steal you away?" Gibbs arched an eyebrow and let his hands slip under the water to touch and tease lightly. "How'd he think he'd manage that?"

"Easily." She winked at him, a mischievous look on her face. "He said we could go to Vegas and have an Elvis impersonator conduct the ceremony. What girl could say no?"

"You'd let him steal you? From me?" He lifted her slightly, pushing up, their bodies fitting together so easily, effortlessly. "Really?"

The breath was stolen from her lungs momentarily and she tightened her legs around him, twisting her hips a little to take him further into her. "Not now," she murmured, leaning forward to kiss him softly in reassurance. "But if we weren't together and I turned forty-five without you showing the teeniest bit of interest in me... Yeah. Tony's a catch. Smart, good-looking, great taste in movies..."

Her list of Tony's good qualities was forgotten as he lifted his hips, tilting them, pressing deeper into her. Her arms tightened around his neck and she rocked her own hips against him, the flush in her cheeks having very little to do with the warm air and water around them.

"You're evil, Gibbs." She bit his earlobe gently, meeting his movements thrust-for-thrust.

"Just reminding you why you keep me around," he commented mildly, his hands tightening on her hips to support her movements. "Gotta give you a reason not to elope with DiNozzo in Vegas, don't I?"

"One of many," Abby said on a sigh, her forehead dropping to rest against his shoulder as her movements became more frantic. "I'll never get enough of this."

"Good to know." His features arranged themselves into an expression of intense concentration. He moved his hands from her hips, gripping the sides of the bathtub so he could push himself up with more strength. "Abs..." Her name was a hiss, torn from his lips as his body responded to the tightening of hers, hips moving erratically against her warmth.

"Let go," she murmured breathlessly. Her body went taunt as he slid a hand between them, sending her careering over the edge in unison with him. Her soft moan of satisfaction echoed around the small room as his growl of completion rang in her ears.

Skin damp with perspiration, Abby settled herself into his lap, curling up to rest her head against her shoulder as she toyed with the smattering of hair on his chest.

"Still thinking of running off with DiNozzo?" Gibbs murmured, running a hand down her spine as he leaned against the back of the tub, taking her with him.

Her response was satisfied, sleepy. "DiNozzo who?"

He grinned in satisfaction, his mind already whirling with ideas on how to deal with Tony's suspicions. He couldn't deny it outright; for starters, he didn't want to lie about it and he was sure Tony would just think he was denying it too much if he did.

He couldn't confirm it, as much as he knew Abby was growing tired of keeping their relationship secret, but he could make it so Tony thought twice about broaching the subject and give the younger man something else to speculate on...

****

A cup of coffee sat on Tony's desk when he got in the next morning. He glanced around, expecting to see Ziva David or Tim McGee watching him anxiously from somewhere, one or both of them having done something to the seemingly innocent drink.

"You gonna stare at that or drink it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs strode by his desk, barely sparing him a glance as he took his own seat. He picked up his own coffee and took a gulp just moments before the phone on his desk rang. With a sigh, he set his cup down, watching Tony as he picked up the receiver. "Yeah, Gibbs."

A few moments later, Gibbs hung up the phone and stood again, walking around his desk towards the stairs leading up to MTAC. As Tony took a tentative sip of his drink, Gibbs slowed his pace, leaning in to speak quietly to his Senior Field Agent.

"You did a good job, Tony," he said quietly, waiting until Tony looked up before continuing. "But if I hear you making plans to go to Vegas with Abby anytime soon, I'll demote you faster than you can say 'Anthony DiNozzo'."

Gibbs sauntered off, leaving his agent staring after him open-mouthed. When he made it to the balcony overlooking the bullpen, he looked down and smirked to himself.

Tony stared back, a speculative look on his face, his eyes wide with questions he would never bring himself to ask.

There was no doubt about it; Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was not a stupid man.

****

End.


	17. South by SouthWest

Title: Made to be Broken 17 – South by South-West

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-15

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Romance, Angst

Spoilers: South by South-West, mild for 'Hiatus 2' and 'Murder 2.0'

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

The image of NCIS Agent Jack Patterson was still on the plasma screen when he returned to her lab. He glanced around for the woman he'd come to see but, on seeing no sign of her, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs approached the screen and studied the image in front of him.

"He was a good guy, Gibbs." Abby Sciuto's voice surprised him but years of training had taught him not to react. She moved to stand beside him, her arms wrapped around herself as she held herself at a small distance away. "I worked a couple of cases for him when you were in Mexico, before he took the Agent Afloat assignment. He kept in touch when he was away, said he trusted my judgement and my abilities and relied on my input to help him solve his cases." She looked down at her feet when he turned his head to gaze at her. "There wasn't anything romantic in it, despite what you're thinking. We flirted and he asked me out a couple of times but by that point, we were together and I told him I was seeing someone..." She shrugged her shoulders and glanced up at him. "He told me he wanted to meet you. Well, the guy I was seeing. Wanted to make sure he – you – was good enough for me."

There was a long pause before Gibbs gave her a small nod, reaching out to pull her against his side, her head falling to rest against his shoulder as it had done earlier. "You're right. Sounds like he was a good guy."

"A good guy who died because I didn't meet him when he asked." Her voice was strangled, guilt tormenting her. "If I'd agreed to see him, if I'd met him that night... Maybe they wouldn't have killed him. Maybe we would've made it back here and he could've told us about the painting and he would still be alive."

"Or maybe they would've killed you, too," Gibbs pointed out. He grabbed her arms with a little less gentleness than he was planning, the thought of her lying on the autopsy table beside Agent Patterson lingering in his mind for a minute more than he wanted. "Then where would I be, Abs?"

Recalling a similar conversation, one where the situation had been reversed and the 'what if' had involved his life at the hands of a publicity-crazed-murderer, Abby shook herself mentally and dropped her gaze. "The funeral's tomorrow."

He drew her into his arms, supporting her as she leaned against him. "I'll be there." His lips brushed against her forehead. "You won't be alone, Abby, I promise."

****

The day of the funeral dawned cool but bright. Abby wore her long black coat over a black dress, one hand clutching her parasol tightly while the other held onto Gibbs' arm as though she were afraid of him disappearing.

Agent Patterson's family, his elderly mother and younger brother, were as grateful for their presence as Director Leon Vance was surprised. They thanked them for attending, inviting them back to the residence where the mourners would be gathering.

Both Abby and Gibbs declined the invitation, choosing instead to head back to Gibbs' home where his basement, boat and half a bottle of bourbon were waiting for them.

Pouring them both another shot of the amber liquid, Abby held her glass up to Gibbs', waiting until the two glasses were resting against one another before proposing her toast. "To Agent Patterson, and the others lost in the line of duty."

"To those lost in the line of duty." Gibbs clinked his glass against hers and downed the contents in one, watching in concern as she did the same.

The names and faces were starting to blur but Abby poured herself another glass, shrugging her shoulders when Gibbs shook his head to turn down her silent offer to refill his glass.

Kate Todd. Chris Pacci. Paula Cassidy. Jenny Sheppard.

Brent Langer. Michelle Lee. Jack Patterson.

"How long till one of you dies?" Abby asked suddenly. Her green eyes were luminous, fixing on his without flinching. "It's been a year since we lost Jenny. Almost four since Kate died. Ducky almost died a couple of weeks ago... How long till time runs out for one of you?"

Setting the hand tool he'd been about to use down, Gibbs turned away from his boat to face her, leaning against the sturdy wooden frame. "No one can answer that, Abs."

"Well, why not? What am I supposed to do? Just wait till one of you dies?" She shook her head vehemently, the bourbon she'd just poured in her shot glass spilling over the rim. Glaring at it, she raised the glass to her lips and drank what liquid remained without hesitation. "Then what, Gibbs? How'm I supposed to get through that when losing Patterson feels this bad?"

"I can't answer that, either, Abs." He took a step forward and wound his arms around her, tightening his hold when she fought against him.

She stopped fighting eventually, the fists she'd been using to hit him grasping handfuls of his shirt. She cried against his chest as he held her, rocking her gently, running his hand soothingly over her hair and down her back.

He couldn't tell her it would be okay, or that none of them would die.

He could only hold her, comfort her, and hope he and his agents were never the cause of her heartbreak.

****

End.


	18. Knockout

Title: Made to be Broken 18 - Knockout

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-15

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Romance

Spoilers: Knockout

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, strands of it escaping to cling to the light sheen of perspiration on her face. She grumbled and muttered and cursed as she worked, taking her frustration out on the poor innocent planks of wood.

"I think that one's done, Abs." Leroy Jethro Gibbs bit back a smile as he crowded her against the workbench, reaching around her to take the sanding block out of her hands. "Keep that up and your coffin'll have matchsticks for walls."

Abby Sciuto glanced at him over her shoulder, green eyes narrowed in vague annoyance. "I wouldn't have to make a coffin if it wasn't for you."

"Me?" He kissed the back of her head as he rescued the plank of wood. He moved away to set it against the wall, returning with another that still had its nature roughed bark. "You're the one who told Vance you were workin' on a coffin."

"You're the one who made my lab smell of sawdust so I had to!" She put her hands on her hips and turned away from the new plank of wood, blowing her hair out of her eyes so she could glare at him without obstruction."What else was I supposed to say?"

Gibbs grinned. "You could've told the truth. He knew already, Abs."

She scowled at him and hit his shoulder before turning back to the new plank of wood. "That is so not the point! He could've fired me for talking to you. I went against his orders."

"His orders, not mine." He leaned into her personal space, his lips brushing her temple as he put his arms around her, covering her hand where she'd picked up the sanding block to start working again. "You know, Abs, I don't think it's your lab that smells of sawdust and Old Spice."

"There was definitely a lingering scent," Abby protested, flexing her fingers beneath his as they started sanding the wood down together. "Even Palmer could smell it."

His chuckle vibrated in his chest against her back, his breath warm against her neck as he dropped a gentle kiss just above the black lines of her cobweb tattoo. "I think that was coming from you, not your lab."

"Me?" She turned her head slightly, looking at him over her shoulder. He took advantage of the moment to kiss her gently. "You mean I smell like you?"

The look on her face made him laugh. "I take it you think that's a bad thing?"

"I didn't say that." Abby shrugged, leaning back against him. She let her arms fall from the sanding block, content to let him do the hard work while she watched. A small smile spread across her face at the thought, sawdust and gunpowder and caffeine and Old Spice enveloping her senses. A perfect combination of them both.

"I guess could learn to live with it."

He dropped a quick kiss to the back of her neck before returning his attention to sanding wood in front of them. "Good."

****

End.


	19. Hide and Seek

Title: Made to be Broken 19 – Hide and Seek

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-15 for non-explicit sex.

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post ep, Romance, Fluff!

Spoilers: Hide and Seek

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

Author's Note: Probably the shortest and fluffiest of the series so far! I make no apologies for it, though, because it made me smile :)

****

"You're sure the newborns can make it through the night without you?" He nuzzled her neck, his tongue darting out to taste the light sheen of sweat gathered over her pulse point.

Beneath him, Abby Sciuto chuckled breathlessly. Her hands ran down his back, fingernails raking light over his skin. "You're seriously asking me now?"

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs lifted his head to gaze down at her, a grin on his face. "Thought just occurred to me."

"While we're having sex?" Her head dropped back against the pillow, her legs tightening around him. "You couldn't think of anything else?"

He rocked his hips, drawing a gasp from her. "I was thinking of you, as always, forcing yourself to listen to music you hate for your babies. Didn't think you'd come home with me tonight."

"Well, aren't you glad you were wrong." She twisted beneath him, smiling in satisfaction at the low growl that escaped him. "Now can we quit talking about the bugs in my lab and get on with this?"

The expression on her face and the tone in which her thinly veiled order was delivered in made it impossible for him to fight the affectionate smile that sprung to his lips. "As my lady demands..."

Pretty soon, all thoughts of the bugs and the lab and anything outside of the room faded entirely. They took their time, drawing it out, savouring one another before Gibbs rolled himself to the side, body relaxed and sated. Abby curled up in his arms, lying peacefully against him until her heart resumed its regular beat.

The slap of her hand against the slightly damp skin of his arm jolted him out of the post-coital doze he'd lapsed into and Gibbs opened his eyes to find his lover glaring at him from where she rested at his side.

"What was that for?"

"For making me think of the babies!" She hit him again, her brow furrowed. "Maybe I should've left a light on for them or something."

"Abby." He couldn't keep from rolling his eyes. "They're maggots. Blow-Flies. I don't think they're really gonna care."

She glared at him for a few moments longer before the draw of snuggling against his warmth overrode the concern she felt for the bugs whose birth she'd witnessed. She didn't speak for a while longer, content just to lie there beside him, until another thought came unbidden to the front of her mind. "You called me your lady."

"When?"

"Before. You said 'as my lady demands'." She tilted her head, a pleased, faintly shy, smile playing on her lips. "Am I your lady?"

Gibbs opened his eyes and rolled onto his side to face her, a soft grin on his face. "You will always be my lady."

She smiled brightly and closed the gap between them so she could kiss him soundly, obviously approving of his declaration. Pulling back, a smile still on her face, she waited until he'd settled himself on his back again before cuddling into his side, a leg thrown comfortably over his.

She didn't give another thought to the bug-babies in her lab, following him into slumber with only one thought on her mind.

She was his lady, and he was her guy.

****

End.


	20. Dead Reckoning

Title: Made to be Broken 20 – Dead Reckoning  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Dead Reckoning  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

The bullpen was quiet when she made it upstairs from her lab. Abby Sciuto glanced around, an eyebrow rising when she didn't see the person she was looking for. She knew Tony, McGee and Ziva had gone for after-work drinks having turned down an invitation to join them. Tony had said something about "needing a strong drink to wash out the bitter aftertaste."

She assumed he was referring to their dealings with the CIA, one of his least favourite organisations to work with.

Still, Abby had been expecting to find their fearless leader, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, sitting at his desk. More so because they'd had plans to grab something to eat on their way home rather than because he was as much of a workaholic – though that was most definitely true, too.

Shrugging to herself, casting a speculative glance at the stairs that led to MTAC and the office of Director Leon Vance, Abby settled herself at Gibbs' desk, wriggling a little in the chair to make herself comfortable.

She waited, patiently at first, but when half an hour passed, she resorted to switching on his underused computer to find something to amuse herself with.

****

It took him an hour longer than he planned to get out of the debrief with Vance and the CIA and the whole thing had left him with a headache he didn't think he'd be able to shift easily.

Dealing with the CIA was right up there with dealing with the FBI as far as Gibbs was concerned, probably worse. He'd rather deal with three Agent Fornell's than one Trent Kort if truth be told and that, he thought, was saying something.

All he really wanted to do was get Abby, go home. Spend an hour or two in his basement with his girl, a bottle of bourbon and the coffin he'd started helping her to build.

Walking down the stairs from MTAC to the bullpen didn't change that, a small grin appearing on his face at the sight of Abby curled up in his chair, her gaze fixed intently on the computer screen.

He managed to get behind her without her noticing, putting his hands on her shoulders and peering at the computer screen as she jumped under the weight of his touch.

"Captain of Industry 3?" He read over her shoulder, his brow furrowing. "Thought you said it was rubbish."

"It is." She gave him a cheerful smile over her shoulder. "But I am so kicking ass at it!" Her enthusiasm made his grin reappear but he still reached past her to turn off the computer at its screen. "Gibbs! I was playing!"

"You can play later." He deliberately leaned over so that his mouth was close to her ear. "At home, on your laptop."

"Snuggled into my favourite silver-haired fox," Abby finished the thought for him, obviously approving of the idea. "No coffin building tonight?"

He rethought his plans quickly, imagining eating take out on the couch with a book in hand while she cuddled into his side and played on her laptop. Maybe they could stop and get a bottle of wine on the way home. "Not tonight."

They walked out of the Navy Yard together, close but not quite touching so not to get people talking about them. Gibbs listened to her chatter as he walked her to her car, determined as usual to see that she drove off safely before he followed, and found his headache fading already.

He gave in to the impulse to kiss her cheek lightly before she got into her car, answering her questioning look with a quick grin as he stepped back to let her shut the door, his spirits rising as the stresses of the day began to disappear.

She was good for him, more so than she realised.

****

End.


	21. Toxic

Title: Made to be Broken 21 – Toxic  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Angst  
Spoilers: Toxic  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

He was watching her closely so noticed when the anger gave way to hurt. NCIS Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs wrapped the case up as quickly as he could and ushered Abby Sciuto into his car so he could take her home.

Hers was still parked outside her dentists, where it had been since the FBI had decided to enlist her in their operation.

Gibbs had hated knowing that she was with them somewhere, working on something that might have meant she ended up on a slab in the morgue. He hated knowing she was somewhere he couldn't protect her though he'd had FBI Agent Tobias Fornell promise at least five times that he'd make sure nothing bad happened to her.

For all the good that had done.

Her sweet and trusting nature had been taken advantage of. She'd believed she was genuinely helping people when instead she'd been helping build a weapon designed to hurt not heal.

He was proud of her for sticking to her guns, for staying even when he would have preferred she return to the safety of her own lab at NCIS headquarters. Even for standing up to the man behind it all, to the former marine who'd betrayed her trust.

Her hands were trembling when he opened the car door for her after pulling onto his drive. Gibbs kept an arm around her as he locked the car, ushering her up the path to his house. He quickly unlocked the door and let her inside, securing it behind him as she walked straight up the stairs, shedding her clothes as she went.

She hadn't said a word.

He followed her slowly, concerned but cautious, unable to predict what her reaction to him would be and he hated it. He threw her coat and scarf over the banister, shoved her boots out of the way so they couldn't trip over them in the morning and picked up the other items of clothing, draping them over his arm until he could put them down in their bedroom where they belonged.

She stood in the centre of their room, dressed in only her underwear, when he entered. Her arms were wrapped around her body but still she shivered, the expression on her face tearing at his heart.

He set the clothes in his arms down on the dresser opposite the bed before moving to take her into his arms, drawing her against his chest with a hand at the back of her head.

Abby stood stiff for a few seconds, her back and shoulders tense. Then she seemed to crumble and melt against him, her arms wrapping around him in an embrace that would have been suffocating had he not been in need of the close contact, too.

"It's okay, Abs." He ran his hands over her, alternating in rubbing slow circles in her back with running his fingers along her spine. "You're home now."

He felt more than heard her cry, her body trembling as silent tears soaked through his shirt.

Walking slowly, backing her towards the bed, Gibbs encouraged her wordlessly to slip beneath the sheets, tucking them around her body before stripping down to his underwear himself and getting into bed with her.

She returned to his arms without hesitation, her face pressed into the crook of his neck as she clung to him.

Eventually, she cried herself out and lifted her tear-stained face to his. "I believed him," she said softly, her voice hoarse from her crying bout. "I thought I was helping them, Gibbs. I thought I was doing something good."

He lifted a hand to her hair, deftly undoing the tight buns she'd arranged her black locks into. Running his fingers through the loose locks, he held her gaze evenly. "You were doing something good, Abby. You were trying to help people you thought were sick. Him twisting that and making it into something else doesn't take away from the fact you were being a good person and trying to help sick people get better."

"But I wasn't," she murmured, her gaze dropping from his. "I was helping him make money. They weren't even sick!"

"You believed they were, and so did they." A finger under her chin forced her to look up at him again. "You're a good person, Abigail Sciuto. The best a person can be. Don't let anyone take that away from you."

She blinked against the shimmer of fresh tears, determined not to cry again. "I could have hurt a lot of people, Gibbs. It would've been my fault..."

"No, it wouldn't." His voice, like the hand he used to keep her face upturned, became firmer. "You would not have been responsible. Unless you deliberately set out to hurt and infect and kill, you can't take any responsibility for what he planned to do." His finger moved over her lips when she opened her mouth to protest. "No buts, Abby. It's the truth and deep down, you know it is."

She nodded but still didn't look convinced. With a sigh, Gibbs moved his hand and pulled her back against him, tangling his legs with hers in an effort at warming her still cold skin.

"It's not your fault, Abby. Nothing that happened today was your fault." He kissed the top of her head softly. "You're one of the nicest, kindest people I know, and I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it."

Abby sniffed, her arms tightening around him in silent thanks.

****

End.


	22. Legend, pt 1

Title: Made to be Broken 22 – Legend, part 1  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Mild Angst  
Spoilers: Legend pt 1, Judgement Day, mention of a previous story in the series (MtbB 15: Deliverance)  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Dread rolled in her stomach when she heard they were heading to Los Angeles.

Bad things happened in LA. People went to LA and they didn't come back.

Holding Bert, her faithful stuffed Hippo, Abby Sciuto fretted as she paced her lab. She squeezed the hippo but the sound it made didn't comfort her as it usually did. It echoed around her otherwise silent lab and the anxiety she felt rose another notch.

Gibbs had gone to LA. Gibbs and McGee.

She thought of the promise her lover had made before he'd left for the airport, the kiss he'd given her before promising her he'd make sure Special Agent Tim McGee made it back in one piece.

"What about you, Gibbs?" She asked the empty lab, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip when there was no reply.

Her relationship with Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs could no longer be classed as being in its early stages but it was still something only the two of them knew about. She thought maybe Ducky had worked it out, and Tony and maybe Ziva, too, but they'd done nothing to acknowledge their suspicions and it still felt sometimes like the only person she could talk to about it wasn't really a person at all.

"He'll come back, Bert," she told her confidant, hating the way her voice sounded so uncertain and unsure. "He will. He wouldn't leave us."

He wouldn't leave her.

Abby set the hippo down on her desk and sat down in her chair with a heavy sigh. She'd been sitting there when he'd said goodbye, when he kissed her and she'd thought – just for a second – that he'd been about to kiss her on the lips instead of on the cheek like he usually did at work.

Maybe for a second, he'd forgotten where they were.

Or maybe he'd known it would be goodbye.

She shook herself mentally, trying to banish the negative thoughts from her mind. She jumped when the phone on her desk began to ring, her heart rate increasing as the anxiety returned full-force.

Unable to muster much enthusiasm for the call, Abby's voice was subdued as she answered the phone. "Forensics."

"Abs?"

The sound of his voice made her close her eyes against the embarrassing sting in them. "Gibbs. You're okay."

"Flight just landed, Abby." He did his best to sound amused but she could detect concern, too. "You okay?"

"Yes. No." She shook her head and tightened her grip on the receiver, opening her eyes to stare blindly at Bert. "No, I'm not okay. I don't want you to be in LA. I want you to be here."

"Abby." She heard his sigh. "We'll be home soon, I promise."

"Both of you?"

"Both of us." He waited for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing. "I wasn't calling you to let you know we landed safely."

"Then why were you calling?" A beat of silence followed. "Gibbs?"

She heard the rustling of material as he shifted the phone, heard his voice though it sounded like he'd covered the mouthpiece of his cell with his hand.

"Just sent McGee on to get the hire car sorted," he said in way of explanation when he came back. "I was calling to tell you about Macy. To make sure you know not to worry."

"Macy?" For several seconds, her mind went blank. Then she frowned, remembering the name of the NCIS contact he'd be working with, the woman he'd spoken to in MTAC. A woman he had some kind of history with. She closed her eyes again, unsure as to whether she wanted to hear what he was going to say. "You have a history. I got that, Gibbs. I'm not jealous. I know whatever was between the two of you is in the past and what we have is in the here and now and..."

"She investigated the murder of the man who killed Shannon and Kelly." Gibbs' explanation cut her off. "She investigated me."

"Oh. I... Are you okay?" Abby bit down on her lip, her mind whirling. "You didn't need to tell me that..."

"I wanted to. I didn't want another Rose situation. I want you to know what's going on."

"And are you okay?" Her voice softer now, Abby pushed away her fears for his physical safely and allowed herself to feel concern for his emotional and mental state of mind. "It can't be easy for you, the memories..."

"I'd prefer to be there with you but I'll get through it. I just wanted you to know." He repeated with another soft sigh. "I've gotta go, Abs."

"Call me later," she instructed before he could hang up.

There was a pause, one she wished she could fill with an 'I love you' and hear him say it back.

"I'll try."

He hung up without a goodbye as was his custom. Abby stared at the phone in her hand for a few moments before setting it back down in its dock.

The dread slowly resurfaced again.

****

End.


	23. Legend, pt 2

Title: Made to be Broken 23 – Legend, pt 2  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-Ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Legend, pt 2  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

He'd banned all talk of work-related issues in the car on the way home, namely the situation they'd found themselves in involving Mossad Officers Ziva David and Michael Rivkin. Abby Sciuto knew it was because he was still turning it over in his thoughts, looking at it from all angles before he made his mind up regarding what the best course of action in handling it would be.

She didn't mind. If he needed distracting, she was more than willing to oblige by welcoming him home in a way that would have most definitely been frowned upon in NCIS Headquarters.

She'd decorated Special Agent Tim McGee's desk to welcome him back but had known Gibbs wouldn't have appreciated such a welcome. His homecoming would be celebrated in a more intimate setting, just the two of them in the solitude of the bedroom she'd come to think of as being 'theirs'.

She led Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs into his own house, turning to face him as soon as she'd stepped over the threshold. Hands rising to his shoulders, she pushed him gently against the door as it closed, pressing her body against his as she lifted her face to accept the kiss he was happy to give her.

The kiss broke the damn of restraint between them, and the hallway of his house was suddenly a frenzy of activity. Hands explored and hastily removed items of clothing. She kissed him desperately, her head spinning when he picked her up and turned them so she was the one with her already bare back pressed against the wall of the hallway.

"I missed you," she murmured between kisses and gasps, hands pushing at the shirt and jacket he still wore, determined to feel as much of him against her as she could. "I missed you so much."

Gibbs' lips curved up in a smile where they were pressed to her shoulder, his fingers deftly undoing the zipper at the back of her skirt, pushing the unwanted material down over her hips along with her underwear before he slid his arms down her legs and encouraged her to wrap them around him. "If you missed me so much, why'd you decorate McGee's desk and not mine?"

She took her time in answering, preferring to pull his head up so she could kiss him deeply first. "Figured you'd prefer this kind of welcome," she said eventually, her breath catching in her throat when one of his hands came up to fondle her breasts. "Oh, yeah. Missed that." She hesitated again, taking a moment to enjoy the sensations his clever fingers evoked within her. "If you'd prefer paper chains and balloons on your desk tomorrow, we could always stop..."

"Stop?" The grin he shot her was wicked. He let his finger make a slow pass over her clit, causing her to cry out. "You want to stop, Abs?"

"No." Her breathing became laboured as his finger returned momentarily. "Oh, God, no."

"Thought you'd say that." He nuzzled the side of her neck, kissing his way down to her shoulder when he bit down gently, drawing another moan from her throat. "Missed this. Missed you."

Abby snaked a hand between their bodies, popping open the button of his pants and lowering the zipper enough to slip her hand inside, feeling him harden and length as her fingers trailed along his length. "I'm beginning to believe you." The noise that escaped him, part groan, part growl, made her smile.

It seemed like no time at all and yet not soon enough but finally he was pushing inside her, filling her, the sensation of being joined again pulling a sigh from her and a groan from him. Gibbs held himself still for a moment, kissing her slowly, his tongue tracing the inside of her mouth. She smiled softly at him in wordless encouragement when he drew back to look at her and he started moving against her.

She hitched her legs up further, fingers digging into his shoulders as she leaned back against the wall, eyes locked with his as she rocked her hips in time with his thrusts. She tangled her fingers in his hair, yanking sharply to bring his mouth back to hers, muffling her moans with a kiss.

His movements quickly became more frantic, his need for release building as he watched her, knowing from her expression, from the glazed look in her eye and the way she shifted restlessly against him that her orgasm was close.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, biting her again, harder enough to leave indents in her pale skin this time. "Let go, Abs," he murmured, running his tongue soothingly over the mark he'd made. "Let go for me."

A sob escaped her, the sound becoming a cry when he slid his fingers over her again, firmly, once, then again. She moaned his name, drawing it out as her orgasm struck, clinging onto him with blind desperation as her muscles contracted around him. Gibbs thrust into her a few more times, his movements becoming more and more erratic as his own orgasm hit.

Her legs dropped from around him and she leaned heavily against the wall. Gibbs slumped forward, arms resting on the wall either side of her so not to crush her, his breath mingling with hers as their foreheads came to rest together.

"Welcome home," she mumbled, tightening her arms around him when he lifted his head to look at her.

The smile Gibbs gave her was genuine, just as the kiss he bestowed on her open mouth was sweet. "It's good to be back."

****

End.


	24. Semper Fidelis

Title: Made to be Broken 24 – Semper Fidelis  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs, slight Tony/Ziva  
Category: Post-ep, Angst, Abby introspective  
Spoilers: Semper Fidelis,  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

The image of Michael Rivkin on her screen made her shudder but Abby Sciuto wasn't entirely sure why.

She knew he was Mossad, that he was involved with one of her best friends, the NCIS-Mossad Liason, Ziva David.

She knew another of her best friends, NCIS Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, didn't trust the man and was sure he was up to no good.

That left her in the middle, torn between being happy for Ziva that she'd apparently found someone she could love and be happy with and being supportive of Tony, of trusting his gut the way she would without question were the situation just a little bit different.

Either way, she had a horrible feeling that whatever the outcome, her NCIS family would be feeling the reverberations of it for quite a long time.

It'd been over a year since Director Jenny Sheppard had died, and almost a year since the team had been reunited following their separation at Director Vance's hand. Another shiver made its way down her spine as she sat alone in her lab and thought on all that had happened since then.

Everything was changing around them and not all of it was for the best.

Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard had gone through hell, a shadow from his past threatening to mar his present and future. He'd got through it, with good friends and what Abby tentatively thought of as the love of a good woman in Doctor Jordan Hampton.

Special Agent Tim McGee had come into his own a little more, growing more confident in his own abilities so he didn't feel like he had to stay in the shadows of his more experienced team mates. Abby thought about his interaction with the ICE Agent Julia Foster-Yates and wondered – hoped – that something might come of that, too.

Tony and Ziva... Their relationship intrigued her, a true love-hate relationship in the flesh. They went through moments where one or both of them would happily see the other drown in paperwork or get the dressing down of their lives from the boss and said in jest that it would at least be quieter if one of them happened to disappear for a while but there was no doubt in her mind or her heart that they'd give their lives for one another if the situation called for it.

Her own relationship with Gibbs had changed, too. Radically, and most definitely for the better in her opinion. She wouldn't change a single second of what they'd been through together, even the arguments, and sometimes she wished she could share that with the others but most of the time she knew and recognised that the time to make their relationship public wasn't quite there yet.

With a sigh, Abby turned her attention back to the man staring at her from the screen, his smile knowing.

Dangerous.

She reached for the stuffed hippo on her desk, giving Bert a hard squeeze as her stomach rolled unpleasantly.

"Don't take them away from me," she said aloud, addressing the image on the plasma. "Don't pull us apart again."

****

End.


	25. Aliyah

Title: Made to be Broken 25 – Aliyah  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs, past Gibbs/other females  
Category: Post-ep, Angst, Romance  
Spoilers: Aliyah  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Few things scared Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Few things wore him down and left him broken. He was a stronger man than that, had overcome so much to be the man he was. One of the ways he achieved that was to not let people get close to them, to shut them out and keep them at a distance so when he lost them – and he was certain that he inevitably would – it wouldn't hurt as much.

Letting Abby Sciuto through those defences had maybe been a mistake on his part, a miscalculation eleven years ago when she'd first turned those big green eyes on him, bright with fury, and snapped that she had one pair of hands, Goddamn it, and she'd get to his evidence when she could.

He'd spent half of the night trying to help her, invariably getting in her way and being banned from the lab and the other half keeping her supplied with caffeine to keep her going. If he remembered right, too, he'd bought her her first ever Caf-Pow that morning as a thank you, a treat for doing what he considered to be a good job under exceptional circumstances.

Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard had smirked at him when he found out. The slightly older man, one of the few he'd actually let himself care about to call a friend at the time, had shook his head and wondered what it was about the black-haired Forensic Specialist that kept Gibbs from snapping right back.

Abby had been the first to truly work her way into his heart. He'd loved his ex-wives in their own way, cared for them all. He'd loved Jenny, would've been willing to try to love her the way she deserved if she'd have stayed. With Abby, it hadn't been his choice. It hadn't been a sudden thing, he hadn't woken up one more with the realisation that there was something special about this woman; it'd been slow and sweet and gradual and had happened without him really being aware of it until he'd realised that his life was so much better, so much brighter with her in it.

But part of him, a tiny part, almost wished it hadn't happened.

If he hadn't let Abby in, if she wasn't so warm and caring and kind and everything he loved about her and wouldn't want to change, would the others have come to mean so much? Was she the catalyst that let the others matter?

It was a thought that stayed with him on the plane ride home from Tel Aviv. A thought that came to him every time he looked over at Tony and saw the pain the younger agent couldn't quite hide, pain that reverberated somewhere inside him.

It was a thought that came to him every time he thought of Ziva, of how he'd left her behind to an uncertain fate.

It was a thought that came to him when he pictured having to tell the others waiting at home -McGee, Ducky, Abby – that Ziva wasn't coming back.

Did it hurt so much because he'd let himself be happy? Because he'd healed more in the last year than he had done in the eighteen since Shannon and Kelly's deaths?

Because he didn't deserve it?

The plane touched down but he barely felt the landing. He listened to Director Vance make his calls in the car, his heart constricting when the Director took a moment away from dealing with business matters to call his wife and children and tell them he was okay. His fingers itched to call Abby, to tell her he was okay.

But to do that would be a lie.

****

Abby came home just minutes after Ducky had left. He wondered first if they'd time it that way.

Then he wondered when he'd come to think of his house as being Abby's home, too.

He waited for the shouting, the crying, the angry claims that it was all his fault and he'd made the wrong decision. He waited on having to correct her like he'd had Ducky, on having to explain that Ziva had made the decision herself when she'd forced him to choose between herself and Tony.

While he'd always been able to see the vulnerability in Ziva and shared with her the secret of Ari's true killer, Tony had been his for longer. Tony, who'd grown so much but still had things to learn, Tony who had a vulnerable side, too, beneath the playboy, happy-go-lucky person he liked to portray.

She didn't speak, though, and he almost found he was disappointed by that.

Almost, because what she did do made him feel guilty about his thoughts about her being to blame for the ache in his chest before even the guilt was washed away.

She came up behind him and put her arms around him, resting her forehead against his back between his shoulder blades.

Her arms trembled and he felt the warmth of her tears through his t-shirt.

Turning, the knowledge that she was hurting almost eclipsing what he himself felt, Gibbs took her in his arms, a hand moving to the back of her head as he cradled her close.

He gave himself a mental head-slap for his earlier thoughts and tightened his arms around her, closing his eyes against the uncomfortable sting there.

"She'll come back, won't she?" Abby asked a long time later, curled up against him in the arm chair of the living room. She lifted her tear-stained face up to his, her eyes pleading with him. "She'll realise we love her and she belongs here and she'll come back?"

Gibbs shook his head, unable to answer. Unable to lie. He touched her face tenderly, his hand cupping her cheek. "I hope so, Abs" he said eventually, meaning it. "I really hope so."

****

End.

_Author's Note: Yes, this series will be continued throughout season seven. I've got ideas for every ep up until 'Ignition' and I'm sure something will come to me for 'Flesh and Blood' as soon as I see it, too :)_


	26. Truth and Consequences

Title: Made to be Broken 26 – Truth and Consequences  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15/FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Truth and Consequences  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
A/N: Made it to season seven! Very short, quite sweet but still, a season seven story!

****

The touch of a hand wasn't enough.

Abby Sciuto shifted restlessly in her seat as she drove home from the Navy Yard – home to his house, not her apartment. She'd hugged Ziva and even Tony and McGee to welcome them all home but she hadn't been able to hug Gibbs.

He'd left before she could.

She'd hovered around Ziva until the Mossad – former Mossad Officer had insisted she was fine and would prefer to send some time on her own. It had been said with a tired smile and weary eyes so Abby had found it hard to take offence and instead had dropped Ziva off at the hotel in which she'd be staying until she found herself a new apartment.

She felt impatient and twitchy, frustrated and unsettled. She needed to feel him against her, need to kiss him and be kissed back and hold him and be held and then maybe she'd be able to let herself believe that her family was whole again and that he was really home.

His hand against hers, fingers touching for the briefest of moments in full view of everyone... It'd been a start but was no way enough.

Abby slammed her car door shut with a little more force than she'd planned. Wincing, promising she'd make it up to the car later, she walked up the path to the house as fast as her heels would allow her, flinging the door open without even checking to make sure it was unlocked.

He stood there, waiting, his back against the banister of the staircase.

For a moment, Abby stopped and stared. From the way Gibbs studied her intently, she got the impression that he was committing her to memory, too, making sure nothing had changed in his brief absence though why it would, she didn't know.

He was the one who'd gone away on an unsanctioned rescue mission.

He was the one who couldn't promise her he'd be back.

With that thought, remembering that in a different world he and the others might not have come home at all, Abby surged forward.

****

Gibbs met her halfway, his arms going around her as he returned her kiss just as fiercely as she gave it. Her hands clawed at the material of the t-shirt he'd changed into, nails digging in to his skin beneath the material. His grabbed fistfuls of her shirt at the back and he wondered if their clothes would survive the experience.

A ripping sound told him they wouldn't.

He couldn't get enough of her nor her him. He'd planned to lead her upstairs, to take her to bed the way he'd been dreaming about on the plane but he realised that there was no way in hell they were going to make it that far.

Clutching him to her, he half-stumbled, half-walked her backwards towards the living room, his mind set on the rug by the fireplace she'd bought him for his last birthday.

They made it after some stops on the way, taking advantage of being still to divest each other of their clothing. When they tumbled to the rug, Gibbs taking care to ensure she wasn't hurt as they fell, skin met skin.

He pushed inside her without preamble, promising himself he'd take it slow next time. By the sound that escaped her, half-moan, half-sigh, he knew she had no complaints.

He bent his head to kiss her, holding himself still inside her as she kissed him back. When her hips arched against his, a slow smile spreading over her face, he started moving again, dropping his head to her shoulder.

His name was a groan torn from her lips as her body arched and trembled beneath him, her arms tightening around him. The feel of her climaxing around him sparked his own and he muttered a curse against her skin, her name said on a sigh.

Finally, he was home.

****

End.

_For all you fic-addicts reading, there's an auction going on over on the Livejournal community help_haiti where hundreds of authors from hundreds of fandoms have volunteered their services to write fanfiction in exchange for a donation to any one of the charities listed at the community. As well as fanfiction, there are icons, music vids and lots of other lovely things up for grabs so I'd definitely recommend you head on over and have a look. Just go to .com/help_haiti/ for more details. The auctions end 20th January 2010._


	27. Reunion

Title: Made to be Broken 27 – Reunion  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Friendship  
Spoilers: Reunion  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

She wasn't in her lab and she wasn't waiting by his desk. NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs frowned, puzzling over the disappearance of his forensic specialist. He pressed the button for the morgue's level on the elevator, wondering if Ducky was still around and, if so, if the Medical Examiner had any idea where she could be.

Both questions were answered when he stepped out onto the level and heard a familiar laugh coming from the direction of the autopsy bay. He considered standing outside and listening in on their conversation for a few moments until he knew what it was but decided against that when he heard Abby Sciuto's laugh once more.

Striding through the sliding doors, he knew instantly that the good Doctor was telling the black-haired woman something he wouldn't be pleased about. Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard instantly stopped mid-sentence and gave him a bright smile, while Abby gave him the most innocent look she could muster, which wasn't as convincing as it could have been given the mischievous glint in her green eyes that accompanied it.

"Hello, Jethro." Ducky greeted him with a warm smile. "I thought you might have left for the evening."

"Was planning on it," Gibbs replied, watching Abby as she lifted a hand to cover her mouth in an attempt at hiding her grin. "Brought Abby in this morning so figured she'd need a lift home."

"You brought her in again this morning?" Ducky's eyebrows shot up but there was a twinkle in his eyes Gibbs couldn't miss. "My, that seems to be a regular occurrence at the moment." The doctor turned his attention to Abby with a look of concern neither of his companions thought was very genuine. "You should just get yourself a new car, Abigail," he said, patting the hand she had resting on her knee companionably. "The money that vehicle you sometimes drive must be costing you!"

Doing her best not to laugh, Abby gave Ducky a nod that was supposed to be solemn. "I know, Ducky, but she's my baby and I don't want to see her on the scrapheap. Don't worry. I'm paying Gibbs in kind for the gas he's using to my place and back."

"I'm sure you are, my dear." Ducky looked back to Gibbs. "Abby and I were just discussing the case," he explained. "And how it was unfortunate that a bachelor party had to end in so much tragedy."

His eyes narrowing, Gibbs had a sinking suspicion that the bachelor party in question wasn't the only one they'd been talking about. "You're not telling tales, are you, Duck?"

"Tales, Jethro? Would I do that?" The smile with which the innocent comment was delivered suggested 'yes'.

"By implying that he was telling tales, you're making it obvious there are tales to tell," Abby chimed in, her smile impish. "Those tales wouldn't involve a certain groom having to hitch-hike his way back across the country to get to the altar in time, would they?"

Gibbs closed his eyes for a split-second, a low groan escaping him as Ducky chuckled and Abby giggled, neither making any attempt at hiding their mirth. "What else have you been saying, Doctor Mallard?"

"Why, nothing, Jethro, I'm appalled that you would believe I would!" Ducky winked at Abby, a gesture Gibbs only just saw as he opened his eyes.

"He hasn't really said anything else," Abby said in Ducky's defence. "He might've mentioned something about the groom who had to try and hitch-hike back in time for the wedding having to do so in only his boxer shorts but I can't really remember the details on that one..."

"Enough." Gibbs held up a hand before Ducky could open his mouth to remind her. He gave his friend a look that promised they'd be talking about it later and reached out to take Abby's hand, pulling her up onto her feet. "No more stories, Duck. Not unless I get editing rights first."

Ducky gave him a half-hearted salute and waved as he and Abby made their way to the door after the black-haired woman leaned down to hug the Doctor goodbye. "Have a safe journey home," the doctor called out. "Don't drive too fast with our Abigail in the car, Jethro!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and shook his head when Abby tried, and failed, to hide another chuckle from him. "You have him wrapped around your little finger," he told her when they were safely inside the elevator going up to the main level. "He's smitten."

Abby grinned and tossed her head, sending a pigtail flying. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible," she teased lightly. "And if Ducky likes to tell me things, who am I to stop him?"

He gave her a look but said nothing, leading her out of the elevator towards his desk so he could collect his things. His agents, like most of the others in the squad room, had already gone home for the night.

They walked to the second set of elevators together, waiting with a few other agents wanting to go home for the night. Gibbs listened as Abby bantered with a petite blond from another team as they travelled to the ground floor but made no effort to join in.

He started towards his car as she said goodbye to the agent and was already settled in the driver's seat by the time she caught up with him.

"What else did Ducky happen to tell you?" Gibbs asked, turning the key in the ignition once her seatbelt was fastened around her. "

"Nothing that'll make it to Tony's ears, don't worry." Abby leaned back in her seat as he started to drive them home, turning her head to look at him in the darkness of the car. "Did you really refuse to pay the clerk at the registry office a measly $50 to lie and say the delay was on their end to cover for your little cross-country adventure?"

The look he gave her was answer enough and the car filled with Abby's infectious giggles. Gibbs found himself fighting back a smile of his own. Her laughter was what he needed, he thought, after the case they'd had to work on and the conversation with Ziva about her future with NCIS.

Knowing he had Abby to go home with, to act as a never-ending light in the darkness that was sometimes his life, actually made him believe that someday, eventually, everything would work out the way he hoped it would.

****

End.


	28. The Inside Man

Title: Made to be Broken 28 – The Inside Man  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: The Inside Man  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Curled up on the couch while soft music – Jazz, a compromise - played in the background with Gibbs as her pillow and a throw over her feet was the perfect way to end a day, Abby decided. It was the perfect way to unwind and put the events of the day behind them.

Usually, anyway.

She couldn't sit down, couldn't settle. She paced in front of the fireplace as Gibbs finished putting the dishes away – his job, he insisted, since she'd washed them – and tried to get herself to calm down before he joined her.

It was hard, though, as the events of the past few days replayed themselves in her mind. One face in particular kept coming back to her, complete with the smug grin she wanted to slap off his face.

Muttering under her breath, Abby didn't notice when Gibbs came to stand in the doorway. Nor did she notice the look on his face as he pondered the cause of her aggravation. She looked up when she heard the clink of glass against glass, a smile spreading across her face at the sight of him holding two wine glasses.

"You read my mind," she told him, walking towards him to one of the glasses from his hand.

Gibbs walked her over to the couch with his free hand at the small of her back, sitting down in his usual place so she could sit next to him and rest her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and propped his feet up on the small coffee table in front of them before taking a sip of his wine. "Something on your mind, Abs?" He asked when she simply stared into her glass instead of joining him in sampling it.

She shrugged and took a sip, using the time to try and calm herself down before she answered. "I keep seeing Sportelli's face," she admitted after a generous gulp. "That man really annoys me, Gibbs. I mean, he just waltzed into my lab as if he owned the place and started making demands left, right and centre as if he had every right!"

"Technically, he did." Still, he hadn't been happy with it, either. "You won't have to see him again if that's what you're bothered about, Abby. I think the Director made that clear to his boss."

Abby, still smarting, wasn't entirely placated. "But he shouldn't have been allowed to do it in the first place!" She told him vehemently. "And he called me 'Honey'. I hate it when guys do that. It's okay if it's meant affectionately or as a term of endearment but when it's condescending and used to talk down to me… I hate it. I really, really hate it."

She took another big swallow of her wine as Gibbs replayed her rant, hiding a smile that was partly relieved behind his glass. "So that's all that's bothering you? Sportelli?"

"Yes." She tilted her head back to give him a confused look. "What else would I be bothered by?"

He shrugged and sipped from his own glass. "Nothin'."

"There's got to be something." Her green eyes narrowed and she sat up a little straighter, twisting her body to face him though careful, he noticed, not to spill what was left in her glass. "What did you think I was upset about if you didn't think it was our dearest friend at Metro? Gibbs?"

It was his turn to stare down into his glass, his expression mildly embarrassed, she noted. "I thought maybe you'd heard about Agent Grady having a crush on McGee and that was bothering you."

There was a beat of incredulous silence. "You think it would bother me that someone has a crush on McGee?"

"Doesn't it?" Gibbs sipped his wine again. "You guys have history, Abs. I know that."

"History, yes. Which by definition is in the past." To his surprise, and his relief, she rolled her eyes and cuddled back into him, her head finding a resting place against his shoulder. "Tim's my friend, Gibbs. One of my best friends. That means I'll be happy for him if and when he finds someone to be with."

He turned his head so he could press a kiss against her hair. "I should've known you'd say that."

"Yes, you should." Abby lifted her free hand to grasp his where it lay against her shoulder. "But, since I'm so nice and forgiving, I'll get over it since you made the bad man leave my lab."

"And I'll make sure security knows not to let him back," he promised, a grin on his lips.

Jazz music played softly in the background as the couple lapsed into companionable silence, both watching the flames burn in the fireplace opposite them as they drank their wine, content just to be together.

****

End.


	29. Good Cop, Bad Cop

Title: Made to be Broken 29 – Good Cop, Bad Cop  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Humour  
Spoilers: Good Cop, Bad Cop  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

His couch was taking her side.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs scowled as he turned over only to have a spring he knew hadn't been there before dig him in the ribs.

Only Abby Sciuto would have the guts to banish him to the couch in his own damn house, he thought, but still squirmed in an attempt at getting comfortable on his bed for the night.

He could hear the low murmur of her voice from upstairs though he couldn't make out the actual words. He wondered, briefly, if the phone call would be appearing on his phone bill or if she was using her cell phone.

Why he was on the couch, he didn't really know. Well, he did, but not really. She was mad at him for being cool with Ziva, for pushing the former Mossad officer into telling them what had really happened while she'd been away.

That Abby had taken Ziva's side – though he doubted his newest NCIS agent would consider them to be on opposing sides anymore – didn't really surprise him. She was an extremely loyal friend and, despite their romantic relationship, she would never take his side simply because she was sleeping with him. Abby was sometimes as protective as his agents as he himself was and Gibbs had wondered on occasion if her defending of them made her their mother-figure since he knew he'd been called their father-figure – behind his back, of course.

He listened to her laugh as it drifted down stairs as if to tease them and grumbled again, punching the lone pillow she'd allowed him in response.

He'd slept on the couch before, he remembered, and some of the times he'd actually deserved it. Wives two, three and four would say so, anyway. Shannon had only made him sleep on the couch twice during the course of their marriage – once while pregnant with Kelly when her hormones were at their most disruptive and once after he stayed out a little too late with some of the guys from his unit when he was home on leave.

It was the first time Abby had banished him to the couch and he found himself hoping it was the last. Like with Shannon, he missed her company as much as her body warmth, missed the feeling of her wrapped in his arms or her body curled around his and knew his chances of getting a decent night's sleep without her were slim to none.

Especially since his couch seemed to be enjoying his discomfort and, in fact, enjoying making it worse.

And that was another Abby-trait he'd picked up on, Gibbs thought to himself, believing inanimate objects were capable of thought and feeling. They weren't, and didn't.

But his couch was still against him.

He forced his eyes shut and exhaled slowly, hoping he'd fall asleep quickly so he could stop thinking about where he was and where he should be.

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, his eyes opened again, a questioning look on his face when Abby came into view.

She stopped in the doorway with a hand on her cotton-covered hip, one strap of the pyjama vest top slipping from its place on her shoulder. Her hair, loose and tousled, hung around her shoulders, framing her make-up-less face. "Are you going to spend all night down here or do you plan on coming upstairs sometime soon?"

"I thought I was forbidden from stepping foot in the bedroom till the alarm went off." Gibbs sat up, an eyebrow arched. "Something change your mind?"

She gave him a casual shrug. "Ziva's happy, which makes me happy."

"Ziva's happy?" He swung his legs off the couch and pushed himself up, gathering the blankets and pillow. "She tell you that?"

"She told me she's happy she's got the chance to prove herself to you." Abby gave him a smile of approval and took the pillow from his arms. "And she's happy that she gets to stay and doesn't have to find something else to do since she's determined not to go back to Israel no matter what."

He followed her upstairs and watched as she restored the pillow to its rightful place on top of the other one beside the two she'd claimed as hers before slipping under the blankets. He dumped his armful of blankets on a chair in the corner, telling himself he'd put them away in the morning and turned off the lights before following her example, a groan of contentment escaped him at the feel of his own bed cushioning his body. The groan was swiftly followed by a pleased grin when he felt her curl up beside him, her head on his shoulder, her leg thrown over his.

"Thank you for helping Ziva," she murmured unnecessarily, knowing he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Gibbs said nothing but wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close. He closed his eyes and felt himself start to drift off into slumber.

The couch might be on her side, he thought sleepily, but the bed definitely favoured them both.

****

End.


	30. Code of Conduct

Title: Made to be Broken 30 – Code of Conduct  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Code of Conduct  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was tired. He'd been tired when he left the Navy Yard and was still tired when he walked through the front door of his house. It was starting to get cold outside, the case they'd just closed hadn't exactly been fun and all he really wanted to do was spend a quiet night in with Abby Sciuto.

Maybe they could get a takeaway, he thought to himself. A Chinese, some beer, a night spent in the basement putting some more work in on her coffin...

Of which all thoughts vanished when he opened the door to find her waiting for him, an almost nervous smile on her face even as her eyes lit up in anticipation.

He studied her from her feet upwards, his eyes travelling slowly as he took in his fill. Instead of her usual clunky boots, she wore black shoes with slender heels, the laces they were secured with travelling mid-way up her calves before being tied in a neat bow. Her legs were covered in sheer black stockings, the black and red lace edge to the stockings just visible beneath the hem of the short black pencil skirt hugging her hips and thighs like a second skin. It was short, considerably shorter than some of the skirts she risked wearing to work.

Her top half was covered by a red and black lace corset that matched the suspenders. It was tight, boned and laced at the back. Gibbs wondered briefly how she'd got it fastened on her own but those thoughts quickly fled when he gazed at her, at the way the material was moulded to her body and the swell of her breasts was accentuated. Her shoulders were bare but seemed to shimmer and glisten, sparkling even in the dimly lit hallway.

There was a choker around her neck, one he couldn't recall seeing more. A single silver cob web hung from a tight black velvet ribbon. Her hair was pinned neatly atop of her head though loose tendrils had been curled around her face as if to frame it. Her lips were painted a deep, dark red and her eyes were outlined in thick black lines that flicked outwards at the end, drawing even more attention to her eyes though he wasn't sure how that was possible.

"I know I usually go for non-traditional Halloween costumes but I saw the choker in a store downtown and I couldn't resist." She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt with fingernails that had been neatly painted the same shade of dark red as her lips. "So I thought I'd go for the sexy witch this year. Only without the hat." Her lips quirked. "It's hard to make those look good."

"If anyone could pull it off, it'd be you." Gibbs kicked the door shut behind him, conscious of the cool air spilling into the hallway as goose bumps broke out across her skin. Walking towards her, almost stalking her, he shrugged his overcoat off and let it fall to the floor. "I gotta say," he murmured, circling her slowly, "I'm glad Vance decided to ban costumes if this was what you were planning on. I can guarantee we'd still be trying to solve the case otherwise."

She shivered under his scrutiny but held herself still, holding his gaze when he returned to stand in front of her. "I had another costume planned for work," she admitted with a small smile. "This one is just for you."

"I like it." He reached out a hand to trace the line of lace at the top of the bodice, his fingertips brushing her skin lightly. "I like it a lot."

Her smile was immediate, relieved and beautiful. "I'm glad. I thought maybe you'd think it was silly or you'd be too tired or..."

Her voice trailed off as he leaned in to kiss her, smearing the lipstick she'd so painstakingly applied in preparation for his arrival but neither cared. "I'm suddenly feeling a lot more awake," he told her quietly. His hands slid around her, resting on her hips for a moment before one slid down over her butt to the hem of her skirt, dipping under it to stroke the bare skin between the stockings and suspender belt. "Must be magic."

"Good to see you're under my spell," Abby teased, a small gasp escaping her when his fingers moved higher. She lifted her arms to clutch his shoulders, tilting her head to accept the kiss he leaned in to give her.

Gibbs took his time in kissing her, his mind already supplying him with a new set of plans for the evening.

He suddenly didn't feel very tired at all.

****

End.


	31. Outlaws and InLaws

Title: Made to be Broken 31 – Outlaws and In-Laws  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Outlaws and In-Laws  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

The once-magnificent creation stood in pieces, no longer proud and upright but looking pretty sorry for itself.

Abby Sciuto stood in the basement of NCIS and wiped her damp brow with the back of her hand, unwittingly spreading a trail of sawdust across her forehead. She'd already undone the buttons of the top half of her red NCIS boiler suit, pushing it down so it hung down over her still-covered hips, the black vest-top she wore underneath rising slightly to expose her stomach as she took a deep, stealing breath.

Gibbs was due back from his trip to Mexico with Mike Franks in a few hours, having gone with his former partner to make sure he didn't get into any more trouble on his way home. She'd wanted to get the boat back together before he came back but she doubted that was going to happen now.

Even though she'd taken photographs of everything she'd done, written meticulous notes on how she'd taken the 'Kelly' apart in the first place, Abby was not an expert boat-maker like her boss and lover. It was proving to be far harder than she'd hoped it would be and she was beginning to worry that it was a lost cause.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she ran her fingers along the painstakingly painted name on the side of what had once been the hull, her fingertips tracing the letters that made up the name of Gibbs' late daughter.

This boat had meant something, she knew. This boat was the first he'd made and not immediately taken alight to on some deserted beach somewhere.

Anger at Mike Franks' treatment of it, at the way he'd allowed the gift Gibbs had given his granddaughter to be treated, built up inside her. Surely Mike had known how much the boat had meant to Gibbs? Surely he'd realised the significance of Kelly's name adorning the side instead of another of his failed romances?

The more she thought about it, the more worked up she got. The more worked up she got, the more frustrated she became with herself for not being able to figure out how to put the boat back together.

It'd been so easy to take it apart, she reflected. Easy on a physical level, though the emotional impact of it would probably stay with her for a while. She knew she'd had to but knowing that didn't erase the guilt she felt at seeing the very boat she'd watched Gibbs built – helped him build on occasion – and name after his daughter in pieces at her hand.

With another sigh, Abby looked down at the photographs spread out before her again. She *would* get it put back together, even if it took all night.

****

When he got home to find the house disappointingly empty, Gibbs walked straight back out and got into his car, heading to the one place he knew she'd be.

He'd known what she'd had to do to the 'Kelly' was playing on her mind and, for that alone, he was angry at Franks. He could put up with his mentor and partner's mind games and evasions, understand the motives behind them even if he possibly wouldn't have taken the same route himself but it was the knowledge that Mike's actions had caused something that upset Abby that made him less willing to forgive his friend.

That, and the fact that the one boat he'd actually been unable to destroy himself had been taken apart at the hands of his lover thanks to it being put in Mike Franks' care.

He checked the sign-in sheets at the security checkpoint as he signed in, unsurprised but still concerned to see Abby's name on the list of people still inside the building. She hadn't left since being forced to take the 'Kelly' apart and he had a sinking suspicion it would take a lot to get her to do so unless the boat was once again fully assembled.

He made his way up to the bullpen, through the empty desks that told him he should be at home with his girl and not still at work and to the second set of elevators that would take him down to the evidence lock-up and garage where Abby would be working. He tapped his foot impatiently, wanting to see her, and stepped out onto basement level just in time to hear her curse.

She was holding her hand when he got to her, her eyes glinting with frustrated tears as blood oozed from a small cut on her palm.

"Abby." Crossing the otherwise empty room towards her, Gibbs took her hand in his and used his sleeve to wipe away the blood beading on her skin to assess the damage. A light wound, he thought with relief, and took the tissue she handed him wordlessly to press it against the cut. "You should be at home."

Abby shook her head as he'd known she would, her eyes downcast. "I want to get it finished. I want to fix it."

Looking at the bits and pieces of the boat still strewn around them, Gibbs didn't have the heart to tell her that it was probably a lost cause; it would take a lot more work than simply putting it back together to make it sea-worthy again. "You need to sleep," he told her instead. "You'll be no good tomorrow if you don't."

She shook her head again, pulling her hand away. "I want to get it done, Gibbs. I want to make it right."

There was an edge of exhaustion in her voice, and it was that that made him grab hold of her arm and draw her against him even though he knew there were security cameras watching their every move. "You've done nothing wrong to make right, Abs. You did your job even though you didn't want to and I'm proud of you for that." He risked kissing her temple even though he'd prefer to have been able to kiss the pout from her lips. "We'll have her packed up and sent back to my place, okay? It can be our new project when you're coffin's done."

Pulling back to look at him, Abby looked at him with hopeful eyes. "We can put her back together?"

Gibbs took a moment to look around them, mentally planning how he could fix what Franks had forced her to do. With a lot of hard work and a couple of months, it might be possible to make the boat sail-worthy again. "We can," he said with more confidence than he felt. "It'll take a while but we can do it."

The smile that lit up her face made the long hours and hard work he'd have to put it worth it. He let his arms drop from around her but lifted her injured hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss against the cut.

"I'll sort it with Vance tomorrow," he promised, still holding her hand as he led her towards the elevators.

Abby followed obediently, a yawn escaping her as the metal doors closed behind them.

They'd fix the 'Kelly', Gibbs promised himself silently, drawing her against him once more in the fleeting moments they had away from the intrusive eye of the security cameras. They'd fix the boat, and then he'd take Abby sailing, as far away from prying eyes as possible.

****

End.


	32. Endgame

Title: Made to be Broken 32 – Endgame  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Endgame  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Spaghetti cooked in boiling water, the rich tomato sauce was bubbling away in its pot. Abby Sciuto sliced some fresh herbs to add to it as Leroy Jethro Gibbs gave the spaghetti a stir on his way to the fridge to get out the bottle of white wine they'd put there to chill earlier.

It was a domesticated scene, one that it would have surprised him – probably irritated him - just two years ago when he existed mostly on coffee, takeout, bourbon and the occasional beer. He paused in carrying the bottle of wine over to the table he'd set to give her a lingering kiss, a smile on his face as he continued on.

He hadn't been surprised to find that Abby could cook; it was a science, after all, a matter of putting the right ingredients together in the right combination. What had surprised him was that she seemed to enjoy spending time in the kitchen as much as she did in her lab, more so if he was there to help her.

He stood at the counter watching as she finished adding the herbs to the sauce and stirred the pot with a thoughtful expression on her face. He sipped from his wine, knowing she was gearing up to ask himself and waited patiently for her to decide to do it.

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah, Abs?"

"Do you really think beautiful women can't be trusted?" She didn't look up from the sauce though he suspected the crease in her brow wasn't out of a need to concentrate on keeping it from sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan.

For a moment, he was confused. He replayed his conversations with Abby over the course of the day in his mind, realisation dawning on him when he recalled the exchange in her lab. "Most of them," he admitted eventually. He saw her nod and noticed she still didn't lift her gaze from the bubbling sauce.

He set his glass down and walked to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist, slipping them under the apron she wore to rest on top of the old work shirt of his she'd slipped on after they'd shared a shower on coming home from work.

"You're not among those I'd consider untrustworthy," he murmured close to her ear before resting his chin on her shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of Abby mingled with the tangy tomato and sweet herbs.

Abby was silent for a moment, her back relaxing against him though her expression didn't alter. "Is that because you trust me or because you don't consider me to be beautiful?" She shrugged the shoulder his chin wasn't resting on before he could answer. "It's okay, you know. I know I'm not. I'm not ugly but I've never been what anyone would call beautiful. Pretty, maybe, but I'm not about the grace the front cover of a magazine or get guys drooling the way Ziva does..."

He spun her around, the spoon in her hand clattering to the top of the cooker, leaving a trail of sauce Gibbs knew he'd have to clean up later. He didn't care, though. His eyes were blazing as he looked at her, his kiss hard and almost harsh. "You are beautiful to me, Abby," he murmured against her lips. "If you don't know that by now..." His hands traced her curves through the cotton of his shirt. "You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever met, inside and out."

She blushed and ducked her head, her hands rising to rest against his t-shirt covered chest. "You don't have to say that, Gibbs. I'm not digging for compliments here, I'm just stating the facts."

"For once, your facts are wrong." He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "You are beautiful to me, Abigail Sciuto. Always have been and always will be."

It was her turn to kiss him, soft and sweetly. With a smile on her face, she turned in the cradle of his arms back to the sauce on the stove. "Could you strain the spaghetti? Dinner's almost done."

Gibbs dropped a kiss to the back of her head before moving to do as she'd instructed. They worked together in perfect sync, the moment passing as quickly as it had come.

When he sat down at the table with her five minutes later, her leg automatically hooking around one of his, he decided he quite liked being domesticated as long as it was with the woman sitting beside him.

****

End.


	33. Power Down

Title: Made to be Broken 33 – Power Down  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Power Down  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

"You're breaking up with me."

NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs watched Abby Sciuto pace the full length of her lab, wondering if she would stop if he got in the way or if she'd just plough into him. He watched her in confusion, trying to follow the leaps her mind was obviously taking. "No, Abs, why would I..."

"You're breaking up with me," Abby repeated, her pace quickening instead of slowing as he'd hoped it would. "You're taking me to a crowded place to do it. That's the MO. That's what guys do, that's what you're going to do. Is it because I complained that Ducky got generators and I didn't because I know that's not down to you, not really, and I wasn't really that upset... Well, I missed my babies and I could've got you your print way earlier if I had them but..."

Realising he had no choice, Gibbs risked life and limb by stepping in front of her, reaching out to steady her when she almost crashed into him. "Abby."

"What?" Looking at him with big green eyes, Abby seemed to have lost her train of thought, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember what she'd been ranting about.

"I'm not breaking up with you." His hands tightened on her arms when she opened her mouth to protest. "I'm taking you out to thank you for what you did."

"To thank me?" She tilted her head to the side curiously. "For what I did? You mean, for working without my babies?"

"Yes." As if to prove his point, Gibbs leaned down to kiss her cheek softly, a little closer to her lips than usual for work but not close enough, hopefully, to get the guys in security talking.

A slow smile began to show on her face, her eyes lighting up. "You're not breaking up with me?"

"No."

"Oh. Well." She broke away from him to turn to her machines, switching them off even though they'd only been on for a short time to check they were okay. He watched as she disappeared into her small office and returned a few moments later, her coat thrown over her arm and a smile he'd never tire of seeing on her face. "Shall we go?"

Shaking his head at her antics, Gibbs couldn't keep a small smile from shaping up his lips.

****

The restaurant he chose was small, busy but intimate. He'd arranged for them to have a table near the corner of the room, knowing Abby hated to feel as exposed as he did. He knew her well enough to know she liked people watching and the best place to do that was from somewhere discreet.

He waved their waiter away, holding her chair out for her himself, his fingers brushing the bare skin of her neck accidentally-on-purpose. The waiter returned a few moments later with the bottle of wine Gibbs had ordered before leaving again to give them time to look over the menus.

"This place is beautiful," Abby murmured, awe-struck by her surroundings. She was paying more attention to the gently lit room and the slightly Gothic decoration of it than she was to her menu. The walls were painted a rich red colour, the lighting low and atmospheric. The furniture was dark wood and intricately carved in smooth, rounded points. "It reminds me of New Orleans," she added, a note of wistfulness creeping into her voice. "The kind of place I'd pass when I was younger and wonder if I'd ever be allowed to eat in a place like it when I grew up."

Gibbs covered her hand with his own, giving her a small smile when she looked over at him. "I'm glad you like it. It reminded me of you."

Her smile was immediate and she turned her hand in his so he could link their fingers together. "We should go to New Orleans one day," she suggested almost tentatively. "I think you'd like it, even if it is pretty much the complete opposite of Stillwater."

"Opposites are good," he commented softly.

"Like us?" She inclined her head slightly. "You can't get much more opposite than you and me, Gibbs."

"In most ways, I agree." He squeezed her fingers and kept his hand wrapped around hers even as he saw their waiter approach out of the corner of his eye. "But in some, we're more alike than I thought we'd be."

Understanding perfectly, knowing it'd been as much of a surprise to him as it had been to her how easily their lives had merged after the change in their relationship, Abby withdrew her hand so she could open her menu when the waiter stopped by their table, pen and notepad in hand as he looked at them expectantly.

Gibbs watched Abby as she watched the other diners, the flickering flame from the candle on their table making shadows dance around them. He watched the look of envy cross her face as couples stood and moved to the dance floor in between courses and found himself standing and offering her his hand.

He held her close, their bodies swaying gently to the music that played around them, savouring the moment, adding it to the long list of happy memories they were slowly creating together. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve her, though Abby would argue that it was the other way around.

An image of Anthony Paxton came to mind, devastated at the loss of his wife. Gibbs could empathise with what the younger man was going through and his arms tightened around Abby in response. He'd been in the man's shoes once and promised himself he'd never be there again.

Nothing and no one would take Abby away from him, of that he'd make sure.

****

End.


	34. Child's Play

Title: Made to be Broken 34 – Child's Play  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Friendship  
Spoilers: Child's Play  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

For a group of people who hadn't planned on spending Thanksgiving together, they were all extremely reluctant to leave at the end of the night.

Tim McGee, who'd been planning on spending the holiday with his little sister, sat in one of the arm chairs in Ducky's living room next to the fire, a Corgi curled up at his feet. He held a glass of wine in his hand, watching the others with a happy grin on his face.

Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David sat on the three-seat couch with Jimmy Palmer, arguing in hushed tones about something – McGee couldn't hear what – while the Medical Examiner's assistant snored lightly, his glasses slightly askew on his nose. Another of the many Mallard Corgi's lay between the rowing couple, lifting its head occasionally to glare at them as though they were disturbing its naptime.

In the armchair opposite McGee's, Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard surveyed the scene with an indulgent smile, the sound of voices and chatter and the fire crackling in the fireplace comforting him and easing the ache in his chest whenever he thought of his mother in her home and his partner, Doctor Jordon Hampton, who was visiting her own family for the holidays and wouldn't be back for some time. A Corgi slept on his lap, snuffling softly every now and then.

On the two-seater were Abby Sciuto and Leroy Jethro Gibbs, sitting quite close but then the sofa they sat on was considerably smaller than the other one in the room. The last of the Corgi's lay across both of them, its head in Abby's lap, its tail wagging enthusiastically against Gibbs' legs as it was petted and stroked by the black-haired forensic scientist.

It was gone midnight by the time the first guests left. Ducky had offered the use of the empty bedrooms of his big house to them all and Tony, Ziva and McGee had accepted immediately. Jimmy, it was decided, would be left sleeping on the couch as he hadn't stirred even when two of the Corgis decided to join him.

Gibbs and Abby chose to leave, the former because he preferred sleeping in the comfort of his own home and the latter because she claimed to have plans for the following morning though what they were, exactly, Abby didn't say.

She hugged them all goodbye – minus the sleeping Jimmy Palmer – and whispered in their ears that she was thankful for each of them. Gibbs watched her from the doorway having volunteered to drive her home since he'd stopped drinking after the second glass of wine, a fond smile on his face as she treated them all to the same enthusiastic affection.

If Tony and Ducky watched them leave with speculative expressions, Abby and Gibbs chose not to acknowledge it. Ziva arched an eyebrow at her black-haired friend but Abby merely smiled and waved in response. McGee, having had a glass of wine too much, had already retired to his room.

They were silent in the car ride back to Gibbs' house, Abby drowsy from an evening of wine, good company and good food and Gibbs content just to have her sitting next to him.

As soon as they reached their destination, Gibbs got out of the car and made his way to her side, opening the door and holding out an arm for her to steady her on the icy ground beneath their feet. She cuddled into him as he escorted her up the path to the front door, her face pressed against his shoulder as he unlocked the door having taken to locking it now he had someone within its walls that he deemed important enough to protect.

Once they were inside, with the door locked behind them, they stripped out of their coats and shoes before making their way upstairs to their bedroom. They took turns in using the en-suite bathroom, exchanging soft smiles and even softer kisses before they climbed into bed. Abby rolled over automatically, tangling her legs with his as she pressed her cool hands against his bare chest, pushing herself up to she could look down at him with sleepy green eyes.

"I love you," she told him seriously, her expression completely solemn. "Out of everything and everyone I'm thankful for, I think I'm more thankful that I've got you."

Gibbs lifted a hand to stroke her hair, pushing back the loose locks that were curled thanks to having been pinned up into tight buns for most of the night. With his hand resting at the back of her head, he drew her down as he leaned up, nipping at her lips with his teeth before soothing them with his tongue, slipping it into her mouth as he kissed her deeply.

He pulled her till she was half on top of him, keeping her there with a strong arm around her waist even when she would've rolled away. "I'm thankful for you," he murmured, the first thing he'd said he was thankful for all evening despite her and Ducky's attempts at getting him to speak over dinner. "To you, really, because I honestly don't know where I'd be if you weren't here."

She kissed him again before settling down, her body still half-draped over his. They held each other as they fell asleep, both content, both happy, both thankful they had each other.

****

End.

_Big thanks and hugs to everyone who's stuck with this series - it really is appreciated, and every single one of your reviews means so very much._


	35. Interlude Random on Purpose

Title: Made to be Broken – Interlude – Random on Purpose  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: NCIS LA episode: Random on Purpose  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

The plane couldn't land fast enough.

Although he'd seen her on screen in MTAC when he'd been called back to Washington DC and told she was okay, it still hadn't banished the thought of what would have happened if she hadn't made it through her run in with the serial killer she'd nicknamed the Phantom.

NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't think he'd be forgetting the video footage he'd seen earlier that day anytime soon.

The killer, tormenting her, patting the bed suggestively as Abby sat tied to her chair, defenceless if he were to try anything. The fear on her faces, the tears in her eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do to take it away and save her from the ordeal.

The axe, so sharp, so close to her throat. The look of resignation on her face coupled with the last minute desperate finger signing he'd picked up on, signing the LA Tech Operator, Eric Beale, had thankfully not translated for the rest of his team.

She'd assured him she was okay but he'd caught the tremor in her voice when she'd described what had happened, toning it down so not to worry him, not knowing he'd get to see the video the LA team had recorded before she made it home to tell him the whole story.

Gibbs paced the arrivals lounge of the airport, kicking himself mentally for going along with Vance's orders to return to DC instead of continuing on to LA like he and the team had planned. He knew his boss hadn't been surprised that they'd all dropped everything the moment they heard Abby was in trouble but he had a feeling Vance hadn't expected the lengths Gibbs was willing to go to in order to get to her side.

He'd had the chance to stop her going to LA, Gibbs remembered. She'd told him the night before she'd left that she'd settle for holding a video conference with the LA team if the thought of her working away from home really bothered him and his gut. His gut had told him to say yes and keep her close but his heart had overridden it, and he'd said no, encouraged her to go, because he'd seen the glitter of excitement in her eyes and knew it was what she really wanted to do. He'd promised himself a long time ago he wouldn't hold her back; her career was as important to him as it was to her.

Still, if she'd died in LA, he didn't think he'd ever have forgiven himself for letting her go.

After an impossibly long wait and four phone calls, one from each of his agents and Ducky, all checking to see if she'd arrived safely yet, Gibbs heard the overhead announcement he'd been waiting for and saw on the screen that her plane had landed and was beginning to disembark.

He flexed his fingers, his arms hanging at his sides. He force d himself to stand still, not wanting her to catch him pacing, and waited anxiously, scanning the faces coming towards him for the one he wanted to see.

Eventually, she was there. Paler than most getting off the plane from LA, tired but thankfully in one piece, Abby Sciuto scanned the waiting crowd anxiously, her overnight back slung over her shoulder as she looked for him.

The moment their eyes met, Gibbs knew what it was meant when people said everything else just disappeared.

He took two steps forward as she quickened her pace almost to a run. She dropped her backpack at their feet and threw herself at him, arms and legs around him as he lifted her effortlessly and held her tight.

For once not caring who was watching, he kissed her fully, urgently, needing the contact to convince himself that yes, she really was okay and alive and in his arms.

After a few moments, they became aware that their display was attracting some attention and ended their embrace. Gibbs set her down on her feet but kissed her again before scooping up her backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. He kept an arm around her waist as he led her out of the airport towards his car, loving the sight of the flush in her cheeks and the vitality in her eyes.

He put the backpack in the car and ushered her into her seat before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. Leaning over, he met her in the middle and they kissed again, clinging to each other with a little more desperation than they were used to.

Pulling away, he let his forehead rest against hers, his eyes sliding shut as they both caught their breath. One hand slid from her hair to touch her throat, fingers stroking, checking that the skin there was undamaged.

"I'm okay," she whispered, her voice shaky. He wasn't sure if she was reassuring herself or him or maybe both of them but it didn't matter. As long as it was true, he didn't care. "I'm home."

He nodded at that, tearing himself away, gripping the steering wheel. The sooner he got the car going, the sooner he could get her home and make sure there wasn't a scratch or bruise anywhere to be found.

He dug his cell phone out of his pocket as it began to ring, glancing at the display before handing it to her with a small grin. "This is the fifth call," he told her quietly. "Think they need to see you as much as I did."

"They'll have to settle for hearing me," Abby replied as she took the phone. "I want to spend the rest of the day with you." She flipped the phone open and pressed the receive button before he could comment, not that he was going to argue. "Hey, Tony. You can stop worrying now."

Gibbs listened to her talk to each member of the team in turn as he drove them home, the sound of her voice a balm to the anxiety he'd been feeling since she boarded the plane to LA in the first place.

His hand reached across and clasped hers, fingers entwining together tightly.

She was home, she was safe and he could finally breathe normally again.

****

End.

_For some reason, isn't letting me upload new files so I've had to get creative and use one of the already existing files I've uploaded - sorry for the delay in getting this part up!_


	36. Faith

Title: Made to be Broken 35 – Faith  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance  
Spoilers: Faith  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Note: A little bit different from the previous stories in the series as this one is from Jackson Gibbs' point of view as he observes our favourite couple.

****

They worked together seamlessly, completely in sync, Jackson Gibbs observed. And despite the room being full of children and other volunteers, they always seemed to know where the other was as if locating each other was an instinct they'd always had.

Maybe it had been, Jackson mused, maybe the chemistry and connection between his son and the pretty black-haired woman had always been there. He was the first to admit that he'd missed out on much of his son's life over the last ten, twenty years.

He regretted that now, though at the time he'd been as stubborn as his son and had refused to make the first move in reconciling.

His son, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, paused in handing out the toys he'd helped make to turn and observe the woman in his life. From where he sat taking a break from the festivities, Jackson saw the unrestrained smile that spread across his son's face as he gazed openly at the woman currently deep in conversation with one of the children at the shelter they were visiting.

There was no holding back, no mask covering his face, just an expression of pure love and adoration that brought tears to Jackson's eyes.

His son was in love and he was so pleased that he'd got a chance to see it happen again.

As Jackson watched, the object of his son's scrutiny turned as if feeling his gaze on her back. Abby Sciuto's lips curved up into a smile that could have lit the room, her eyes bright and happy and focused only on his son.

She loved him, too, of that Jackson had no doubt.

He recalled what their mutual friend, Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard had said while the two of them were working in his son's basement on new toys for the children, that he wondered if they really were oblivious to what was between them or if they were just trying to fool everyone into thinking they were.

Ducky, of course, had had his suspicions and Jackson had let him. Although he'd known for over a year now that his son was involved with the NCIS forensic specialist, he didn't think it was his place to say so, and he knew Leroy wouldn't welcome his meddling in his life.

It did his heart good to see the affection and adoration between the couple, though it made it ache, too.

He'd had relationships since his wife had died and he'd found love but not the kind that he'd shared with Leroy's mother. Not the kind he could see before him now. While he was happy for his son, he couldn't help but feel a little bit envious that he hadn't been lucky enough to find that kind of connection twice like Leroy.

Maybe he'd feel better about himself now if he had.

As he continued to watch the pair, he noticed that his son's hands were moving. Sign language, Jackson recognised, though he couldn't remember enough of it to make out what he was saying. From the smile that spread across Abby's face and the pink tinge that appeared in her cheeks before she signed her response, he decided he didn't need to know. Whatever they'd said was meant to be private and he'd respect them both enough to let it stay that way.

His son nodded in response and turned back to his task of handing out presents to the sick children. It was Abby's turn to watch him, her expression unguarded, softening as she smiled when he leaned in to help the little girl beside him unwrap his present.

She was good for him, Jackson thought decisively. Maybe not the type of woman, appearance-wise, he would have expected his son to chose but she was all heart, a bundle of positive, excitable energy that had helped Leroy heal far more than he himself had done.

He knew that they were keeping their relationship private though didn't truly understand why. Leroy had tried explaining that it was complicated, that there was history between Abby and a member of his team and that if they were involved openly, his enemies might use her to get strike at him. Abby had shrugged and given him a small, sweet smile, telling him she'd wait until Leroy was ready to go public with their relationship as long as she didn't have to give it up.

She'd fight for him, for them, and for that, Jackson was grateful.

"Jackson?" The sound of her voice so close startled him, and he looked up to find Abby gazing down at him with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He grinned and held out his hand, letting her help him to her feet. He held onto her for a few moments longer than necessary, lifting it to his lips so he could kiss the back of her hand. "Thank you, my dear."

He was thanking her for more than helping him to his feet and, given the smile she gave him and the slight nod of her head, Abby seemed to realise it.

"Do you want to help me hand out some more presents?" She asked him instead of calling him on it, wrapping her arm around his. "There's a little boy over here I know is going to love one of the boats you made."

Jackson patted her hand. "Lead the way, my dear."

The past, he decided, should stay in the past. There was no making up for things not done and regrets were a pointless waste of time. He had the present and the future to look forward to, and no man could ask for more.

****

End.


	37. Ignition

Title: Made to be Broken 36 – Ignition  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18 at most.  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-Ep, Romance, Angst  
Spoilers: Ignition  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

AN: The beginning of the M. Allison Hart story arc – we all knew it was coming but still, we don't have to like it. Don't be too disillusioned by what happens in this installment – I've got a mini-arc of my own planned to take us through the next couple of episodes.

****

The drive home was fraught with tension. Abby Sciuto couldn't figure it out; she felt like she was the one in the wrong when, if what Tony and the others had said was true, she was the wronged party.

Not that she believed them, or at least she really didn't want to.

What woman would want to believe that her lover, her partner for over a year, was romantically and physically attracted to another woman and had made no attempt at hiding it?

She clasped her hands in her lap, watching him out of the corner of her eye. His jaw was tense, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His shoulders were squared and his back all-too straight in his chair.

He hadn't spoken a word to her since meeting her in the parking lot and even then, he'd just said – for the benefit of his agents, she was sure – that he'd drive her home since he'd picked her up that morning. It was their standard excuse for arriving and leaving together, one that was so well used that no one questioned it anymore.

When they pulled up outside of his house, the building that had become their home, Abby wasn't sure she wanted to get out.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs took the decision out of her hands by walking around to her side, opening her door for her. He made no attempt at touching her, though, not even a hand to the small of her back to lead her up to the house, which was unusual when they were alone.

Usually, they were a tactile couple when there was no one else around. Usually, he couldn't stop himself from touching her in even the smallest of ways and vice-versa.

Abby managed to hold herself together until they were inside the house with the door closed securely behind them. Then he pulled her close, holding her against him, and the dam broke.

"What's going on, Gibbs? You're scaring me." Her words were muffled against his chest and her arms wound around him tightly.

"I know," he murmured, squeezing her before stepping back. "I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead before lowering his lips to hers, his mouth moving against hers in a hot, hungry kiss. "You've gotta believe me, Abs, I don't want to do this."

"You don't want to do what?" Abby pulled back, her throat aching with tears she refused to shed. "What's going on, Gibbs? Please, just tell me."

Instead of telling her, he took her by the hand and led her into the living room. He ushered her onto the couch before leaving her to close the curtains over the windows, something he didn't usually do unless they planned to spend an intimate hour or two by the fire.

Abby didn't think that was going to happen. She clasped her hands together once more, watching him as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of her, pulling an envelope out of his pocket and handing it to her wordlessly.

Her fingers trembling, she opened it and slid out the photographs that had been put inside. Flicking through them, her face paled.

There was one of them dancing at the restaurant he'd taken her to, the one that had reminded her of New Orleans. There was one of them embracing at the airport after her return from LA, wrapped around each other as though the rest of the world didn't exist. There was one of her laughing as she walked backwards into the house, pulling her with him by his tie. There was one of the two of them at the children's shelter they'd spent Christmas Day at, kissing under the mistletoe she'd been sure Jackson Gibbs had arranged to have hanging over their heads.

"What...?" Her voice failed her and she cleared her throat before trying again. "Who took these?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I don't know, Abs. I have my suspicions but..." He ran a hand through his hair, his blue eyes locking on hers. "The woman Tony's told you about, the lawyer."

"Ms. Hart with icy blue eyes a man could drown in," Abby intoned flatly. "The one you were flirting with."

He didn't deny it but an apologetic look flittered over his features. "She's been hired by Merton Bell, Abby. The guy who was behind the attempted hit on Franks and his family."

"The Colonel. He was released from prison in Mexico." She arched an eyebrow at the vague surprise on his face. "McGee told me. You think he's behind this...?"

"I'm pretty sure he is." He watched her carefully, studying her reaction to what he was about to say. "I think he's going to try and get back at me, Abs, and I think he's going to use you and the team to do it. Ms. Hart. She knows a lot about all of us, more than any average person should or would. She's working for him but I don't know what they're planning. Not yet."

"And by flirting with her, getting close to her, you think you'll find out?" It hurt her to say it, to picture him getting cosy with another woman. Her heart ached in her chest but she had a sinking feeling that the worst was yet to come. "So where does that leave us? If she's behind the photos, if she knows we're together, she won't believe... Oh."

The photographs fell unnoticed to the floor. Abby's cheeks paled even more, her hands trembling.

"This isn't over." He moved to sit beside her, drawing her against him. "I swear to you, Abs, this isn't over between us."

It would hurt him just as much, Abby knew. Though knowing that didn't ease the pain that accompanied the thought of him with someone else. "So what are we going to do? What... Am I not allowed to see you outside of work anymore?"

His arm tightened around her. Gibbs pressed his lips to the top of her head. "For now, no. Maybe in a few weeks, once things have calmed down, we can find a way to see each other," he decided, the thought of not being able to see her on a personal level making something inside of him twist unpleasantly. "We'll just have to be more careful about it. Not go out in public."

"And I should move back into my apartment," Abby said quietly, knowing he wouldn't want to have to be the one to voice the thought. "If they get evidence that we're living together..."

"I don't want you to go." His voice was a whisper, barely restrained anger and regret mingling to make it hoarser than normal. "I want to keep you here, safe, where I can protect you."

"But you can't. Not now." She lifted her head and moved away. She saw the hurt on his face before he could cover it but before he could say anything, she straddled his lap, leaning down to kiss him desperately.

They lost themselves in each other quickly, frantically stripping each other of their clothes.

Once they were both naked, she settled herself on his lap once more, guiding him into her with an unsteady hand. She held his eyes as she rocked her hips, determined to memorise everything, determined to cherish every second till the last.

His hands explored her body, supporting her back as he lowered his mouth to her breasts. He kissed her, treasured her, took his fill and more while she was still his to savour. When she dragged his head back up to hers, he could see there were tears shimmering in her eyes, tears she was trying in vain not to let fall.

She kissed him desperately, urgently. Needing the contact, needing the reassurance that they were still meant to be together, that what they were was right even if there were some who were determined to take it away from them.

She tangled her fingers with his and increased the pace, driving them both closer to and eventually over the edge. She broke with a cry and he followed not long after, cradling her body against his as she let her head fall to his shoulder as her body trembled.

"This isn't goodbye," he told her softly, stroking her hair back from her face when she lifted her head to look at him. "We'll still see each other every day."

Abby nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

They dressed each other, an act almost as intimate as the one they'd performed just moments before. Gibbs followed her up to their room, watching with clenched fists and an aching heart as she packed most of her things, slowly removing the evidence of their relationship from his room.

It looked barren without her things in it, empty without the little touches that made it theirs.

She didn't speak again until they were in his car outside of her apartment, both craving the others touch but too afraid of who might be watching to give in to the need.

"Promise me something." Her voice seemed loud in the quiet car though it had been barely above a whisper.

He didn't hesitate, a hand tentatively moving to touch hers where it rested on her leg out of sight of anyone watching from outside. "Anything."

"Promise me you won't... If you have to sleep with her..." Abby swallowed hard, hating that she knew this man so well. Hating that she knew he'd do anything – anything at all – to get the information he needed to keep her and their friends safe.

"Abby, I won't. I won't go that far." Gibbs sounded determined but she shook her head, not wanting promises he might not be able to keep.

"If you do," she forced her face up so she could look at him, green eyes holding blue. "Promise me it won't be in our bed. I can handle a lot of things but that... The thought of her there... I know it's your house and always will be but it feels like my home, too. I don't know if I could..."

"I won't. I promise." He squeezed her hand in affirmation, wishing he could lean in and kiss her, wishing he could touch her cheek and catch the lone tear that slid down it with his thumb. "Whatever happens, whatever you hear..." He lifted his hand from hers, signing the words he couldn't bring himself to say for fear it would be the last time he got the chance.

His silent 'I love you' hung in the air between them for a long moment until Abby gave him a small nod and an even smaller, ever-so-fleeting smile.

"Goodnight, Jethro. I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched her get out of the car, carrying her bag over her shoulder. He sat there as she disappeared inside the building, waiting until he saw the light go on in her apartment and the curtains twitch as she moved to watch him go before driving away.

Back to the house that was no longer a home without her in, promising himself she'd be back there soon.

****

End.


	38. Flesh and Blood

Title: Made to be Broken 37 – Flesh and Blood  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Angst, Romance  
Spoilers: 'Flesh and Blood', 'Ignition', illusions to a previous chapter in the series, 'Bounce'  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

Arriving at work to find a case to keep her mind busy filled her with relief, even as she felt sad for the victim of the bomb blast and any family he might have left behind. Abby Sciuto donned the familiar red boiler suit, rolling her eyes at herself when she looked down at her mismatched socks and shoes.

"Really need to get a grip, Abby," she told her reflection in mirror of the ladies restroom. "Someone'll notice something eventually."

Securing her hair into high bunches either side of her head, she gave herself a hard look before turning on the heel of the foot wearing the strappy sandal and walked with her head held high to the garage where the victims car had been towed.

She might not feel like everything was okay but she wasn't going to let anyone else know that.

****

He half-wished he had time to go and get a Caf-Pow before going down to see what she'd found. Half-hoped, because the other part of him just wanted to see her.

With the long, determined strides those around him had come to expect, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs made his way to the lower level of the NCIS Headquarters. He hadn't seen her since Friday, since driving her back to her apartment and leaving her there, heading back to an empty house that didn't feel like a home without her in it.

Two whole days, three whole nights.

He'd picked up his car keys more than once, only just managing to stop by reminding himself of the reasons for their forced estrangement. He had to protect her, had to keep her safe.

No matter how hard it was for them both in the short-term.

He barely managed to keep his lips from twitching when he saw her feet sticking out from underneath the car, amusement turning to bewildered concern when he noticed the socks and shoes.

"Mix-match Monday," she'd said with a bright smile.

Too bright.

He'd replied with a comment about 'make-my-day-Monday', and had wished as soon as he'd said it that he could take it back.

Under different circumstances, at a different time, he knew he wouldn't have had to ask.

****

She'd originally entered the observation room adjacent to interrogation to get a good look at Anthony DiNozzo Senior. Within minutes, she'd formed an opinion of the older DiNozzo and she felt a little traitorous towards her Tony that she couldn't bring herself to immediately like his father.

A few minutes into her observation, with Ducky's commentary to keep her company, the door to interrogation opened and Abby felt her heart ache afresh.

Gibbs.

He stopped and stared into the one-way glass for a minute and, for a split-second, she let herself believe he was looking right at her.

She missed him.

Missed his kisses and his company, missed the feel of his arm warm and heavy over her waist and hips as she slept.

Missed going to sleep knowing he was beside her, missed waking up the same way.

She would get to see him every day at work but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

She watched him talk to DiNozzo Senior, felt annoyed on his behalf when the other man refused to sit down, trying to use the fact he was standing to prove his superiority over the silver-haired agent.

When he walked into the room, only Ducky's presence stopped her from wrapping her arms around him and drawing his mouth down to hers for a long, lingering kiss, the kind she'd been dreaming of all weekend.

She went without question when he ordered her out of the room, glad to be given an out, not sure how much longer she could stand being in the same room with him but being unable to touch him the way she very much wanted to.

****

He told himself it was because he was desperate to find DiNozzo Senior a chaperone he could trust to get the job done but Gibbs admitted later that it was desperation to see her that drove him to find her in her lab that afternoon.

Her music played as usual but Abby didn't dance or sing along as she would any other day. He thought she seemed subdued as she stood at the computer in her main lab, her eyes fixed on the screen.

She didn't even tap her foot along to the beat and that told him instantly that she felt the same way he did.

Gibbs didn't waste time with small talk. He walked straight up to her and took her hand, ignoring the way she spoke his name as a question, ignoring the confusion on her face as he led her to the elevators and ushered her inside, hitting the emergency stop just seconds after the small metal box began to move.

Drawing her against him, he held her almost roughly, pressing his mouth against hers without giving her a verbal explanation.

Abby wasted no time in reciprocating, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder while the other curled around the back of his neck, her body flush against his. She kissed him back with everything she had, pushing him against the far wall of the elevator.

His cell phone ringing broke through the haze that had fallen on them and Abby moved back just enough to let him pull it out of his pocket, her head falling to rest against his shoulder. Gibbs kept his arm around her waist, taking a moment to catch his breath before flipping the cell phone open.

"Gibbs." He listened for a few moments, his hand tracing circles on the skin of her lower back where it had come to rest underneath her shirt. "Five minutes, DiNozzo." He hung up without saying goodbye and held her for a minute longer before gently pushing her away. With a finger curled beneath her chin, Gibbs tilted her face upwards, leaning in to brush his lips lightly against hers before drawing back with a regretful sigh.

Her smile was sad but understanding, and she took another full step back, straightening her clothes. "I take it that wasn't the original plan?"

"No." A ghost of a smile flickered over his mouth for a moment. "I need someone to babysit Tony's dad. Someone I can trust to keep an eye on him."

"Me?" She tilted her head to the side when he nodded slightly. "I could give him a tour." A shoulder rose and fell. "Flirting would probably help, too, if he's anything like his son."

He reached out to cover her hand before she could reactive the elevator. "Not too much flirting, Abs."

"Nothing that means anything," she promised softly. With her back to him, Abby activated the elevator and stared at their blurred reflection in the steel doors. She kept quiet until the elevator jerked slightly, coming to a halt before the doors began to open. "I miss you."

She slipped out between them before he could reply. Gibbs followed a few steps behind, listening to her overly bright greeting of DiNozzo Senior, wondering if he was the only one who picked up on how false it seemed.

****

Going home to an empty house was not something he was used to, nor was it something he really wanted to have to get used to again. Gibbs was relieved when Tony DiNozzo accepted his invitation to dinner, hoping that being able to concentrate on the younger man's problems for a while would take his mind of his own.

It did, for a little while. Then Tony leaned back on the couch, bottle of beer in hand, and gave him a sidelong look that forewarned him of what was to come.

"What's going on with Abby?" Tony asked, the concern that overrode his curiosity the only thing that saved him from a traditional Gibbs slap to the back of his head.

Gibbs hesitated, taking a swig of his own beer before answering evasively. "Don't know what you mean, DiNozzo."

"That might work with McGee or Ziva but it won't with me." Tony watched him intently, his eyes too-knowing for Gibbs' liking. Then again, he'd all but confirmed the nature of his relationship with Abby to his younger agent some months ago when he'd made a comment about the pact the two had made to head to Vegas. "She's not herself. Neither are you."

"Things change, Tony," Gibbs said eventually. "They'll be back to normal soon."

"You hope," Tony added for him. The younger man shrugged and focused his attention on the peeling label of his beer bottle. "My guess is that it's something to do with Ms. Hart and her icy blue eyes." He glanced up at Gibbs, his expression vaguely pained. "She's an attractive woman, boss, but compared to Abs..."

"She doesn't." His voice a little sharper than he intended, Gibbs took a moment to calm himself by stacking their plates. "She doesn't compare to Abby."

Tony gave a small nod after a few moments of tense silence. "Then I'm guessing there's more going on than I know about." He waited for Gibbs to either confirm or deny it, unsurprised when he did neither. "Thought so." With a sigh, he closed his eyes as Gibbs got to his feet, dirty dishes in hand. "Then I guess I'll just have to hope things get back to normal soon."

"You and me both," Gibbs muttered, loud enough for his agent to hear but the words were uttered as he walked out of the room, giving Tony no chance to reply.

Gibbs busied himself in the kitchen, washing the dishes and cutlery, wiping down the benches. He returned to the living room to find Tony spread out across the couch, his beer bottle clutched against his chest as he dozed in the flickering light of the fire.

He sighed and draped a blanket over the sleeping agent, grabbing his cell phone from the pocket of his jacket in the hall before turning the key in the lock and heading upstairs.

Lying on the bed he'd once shared with Abby – hoped to share with her again – Gibbs hit the speed dial number that would dial her number and waited impatiently for her to pick up. He heard her voice, husky with sleep, and let it wash over him, missing her all over again.

"I miss you, too, Abs," he told her quietly, knowing by the lack of greeting on her end that she'd checked her caller ID before answering. "I just wanted you to know."

****

End.


	39. Jet Lag

Title: Made to be Broken 38 – Jetlag

Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)

Rating: FR-15

Pairing: Abby/Gibbs

Category: Post-ep, Angst, Romance

Spoilers: 'Jetlag'

Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

****

If she was caught, she would have happily let him believe she'd gone against his orders and intruded on the interrogation because she was curious about the Holly Snow she'd heard so much about, Washington DC's own version of a Hollywood Madam. It'd be partly true, anyway.

Mostly, though, she just wanted to see him.

Abby Sciuto closed the door to her lab – a rare occasion – and locked it before hacking into the live stream feed from the cameras in interrogation room one. She stared at the screen, leaning forward on her stool to study the woman she'd read so much about.

She looked normal, Abby decided. Well-dressed, poised, but all-in-all, she was the kind of woman she'd walk by on a street without a second thought.

Mildly disappointed, she considered – for the smallest of moments – closing the video screen but those thoughts flew out of her mind the moment Leroy Jethro Gibbs strode into the room, immediately filling it with his presence even though the Director of NCIS stood beside him.

Abby's fingers moved over the mouse swiftly, turning up the volume of the slightly grainy feed.

"You like it rough, don't you?"

"Oh, there's a time and a place for everything, Holly."

A small smile curved up her lips, her cheeks flushing at the unbidden memories that flew to the forefront of her mind. There was a time and a place for everything with Gibbs; that she'd happily learnt a long time ago.

The smile slipped as she remembered that their time was seemingly over – or at least on hold for the moment.

Abby forced herself to close the window with the video feed. She shook her head, muttering under her breath at the slight shower of kitty litter that fell from her hair despite all of her attempts at getting it out earlier and took a deep, focusing breath.

There was a case to solve, and no time to dwell on what couldn't be.

****

It was Ducky who'd told her what had happened, and he only knew because McGee had called from the hospital where he and Gibbs had taken Daniel Sturgis.

Gibbs had been hit by a car, by the car Sturgis had been driving in his desperate attempt to flee them before he'd been shot by the pursuing federal agents.

Although Ducky had assured her that Gibbs was fine other than a dislocated shoulder, Abby hadn't wasted any time in closing down her equipment, shutting down her lab. She drove straight to the hospital, her fingers drumming anxiously on the steering wheel whenever she had to stop at a red light.

It seemed to take twice as long to get there as normal, time ticking by too fast even as it passed her by at an agonising pace. She only just remembered to lock the car door, her hand tightening around her keys as she made her way into the bustling building.

"Abby!"

She was saved from having to try and get Gibbs' whereabouts out of the receptionist, who sat and stared at her computer screen with a harassed frown on her face as friends and relatives of patients stood around the desk firing question after question at her.

Abby turned her head in the direction of the voice, concern on her face as Tim McGee scurried towards her, a dry blood stain on his shirt.

"Timmy...?"

"Oh." McGee looked down at the stain and shook his head quickly. "It's not mine. Or Gibbs."

Relief flooded her once more. "Is he okay? Ducky said he got hit by the car. He said he was okay but he was hit by a car. That's..."

As she struggled to think of a word to finish her sentence, a word that wouldn't give away the exact nature of her relationship – currently on hold relationship – with Gibbs, McGee put a calming hand on her arm, an almost knowing expression on his face. "He's okay, Abby. He's in a room down the hall, already demanding they let him out." The slight smile on his face was quickly overshadowed by guilt. "I've got to get Sturgis back to the Navy Yard. The Director's sending someone to drive us..."

"I'll take care of Gibbs," Abby volunteered quickly, maybe a little too quickly but she couldn't bring herself to really care. "Just tell me which room he's in."

"104, just down the hall." McGee bit his lip for a moment, his eyes shadowed. "Tell him I'm sorry, again."

A little confused but desperate to get to Gibbs, Abby nodded in agreement. "I will, McGee. Thanks."

She waited – only just – for him to turn away and head into the room he'd just left before walking as fast as she could down the corridor, eyes scanning the numbers on the doors she passed. She heard him before she saw him, the sound of his voice making her smile even as apprehension caused her stomach to flip. Would he be mad that she was there? Pleased? A bit of both?

"Can I go now?" Gibbs asked – demanded, an edge of impatience in his voice.

"You can go when we're done," a frustrated voice answered. "You'll need to call someone to drive you home –"

"I can drive myself."

"Not for a few days, you can't."

Abby walked through the door before he could continue the argument, clearing her throat to announce her presence as the nurse rolled her eyes over the top of Gibbs' head. "I'll drive him home."

The nurse glanced at her, shrugging after a short pause. She then turned her attention back to tying the sling at the back of Gibbs' neck. "Once I've got his prescription and the Doctor's signed his release papers, he's all yours, honey." The woman gave Gibbs a glare that the special agent returned.

With a final shake of her head, the nurse left them alone. Abby took a hesitant step further into the room, studying him as he slid off the bed. His shirt was unbuttoned and even as she watched, he tried to fasten it with one hand.

Seeing him struggle made her move forward, her hands immediately taking the place of his one and starting to push the buttons through their holes despite the slight tremor in her fingers. "I know you're going to tell me that I shouldn't be here, that I'm putting myself in danger, blah, blah, blah. I know someone might be watching us, I know they might plan to use this against us, to use me against you but I don't care, Gibbs. I don't care about any of it. I just..."

"Abs." One word, her name, was enough to end her ramblings. With his good hand, Gibbs reached up to touch her face, his fingers trailing along the line of her jaw. "I'm glad you're here."

She stared at him in silence for a moment, her green eyes narrowing as she studied him intently. After a while, her expression changed into one of determination and she gave him a short, decisive nod before lifting her hands to cup his face. "You were right when you said there's a time and a place for everything, Leroy Jethro Gibbs." She waited for the flare of recognition in his eyes, the slight narrowing of them as he looked at her in question. One of her fingers moved over his lips to keep the questions at bay. "But this is our time, our place. And I'm not letting anyone take that away from us."

To seal her vow, before he could protest or try to talk her out of it, Abby moved her finger from his mouth, replacing it with her lips as she kissed him softly, sweetly, lips curving up against his as she felt his uninjured arm wrap around her waist, drawing her closer rather than pushing her away.

"We'll have to be careful," Gibbs murmured when she pulled back and let her head fall forward to rest against his good shoulder. "No one can know."

Abby nodded against him, her smile soft but hopeful. "No one will."

****

End.


	40. Masquerade

Title: Made to be Broken 39 – Masquerade  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Angst  
Spoilers: Masquerade, the 'M. Allison Hart' arc.  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: I'm having to bide my time with this storyline but think I've come up with an idea that's a happy medium between what we see on the show and what we Gibbs/Abby shippers would like to see... I think so, anyway :)

With big thanks to ncis_love for her support and encouragement on this.

* * *

There was an unfamiliar car pulled up outside the house when she got there. Abby Sciuto's hands tightened on the steering wheel and she hesitated for a moment before continuing on, heading to the end of the street where she turned around and went back in the way she'd come.

She read the number of the license plate, a sharp stab of jealousy taking her heart in its icy grip as she recognised it and realised with absolute certainty to who the car belonged: Ms. Margaret Allison Hart.

A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought of what that woman was doing inside the house she'd come to think of as her home and she only made it halfway towards her apartment before she was forced to pull over, her hands shaking.

She forced herself to remembered the promise he'd given her, the one thing she'd requested when he'd explained the situation they'd found themselves in, and hoped he'd be able to keep it.

* * *

A black haired woman was waiting for him when he got home but it wasn't the one he wanted to see. Leroy Jethro Gibbs stopped for a moment, his stomach twisting at the sight of Margaret Allison Hart sitting on his couch.

She didn't belong there. Her presence altered the whole dynamic and feel of the place. Whereas Abby could light up a room and make it feel safe and comfortable and like home, M. Allison Hart could not.

The hand of his good arm clenched into a fist as he walked towards her.

* * *

She didn't like feeling frustrated. Frustration just made her angry.

She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove away, applying a little too much pressure to the gas pedal as she sped across town towards her meeting.

Her client wouldn't be happy, Margaret knew. He'd have expected her to have gained Gibbs' trust by now, to have gotten under his skin.

She squared her shoulders and continued on, resolution tensing her muscles further as she thought over what she would say to the man she was meeting, and planned her next move.

* * *

Her presence at his house had been unexpected and unwelcome, and watching the taillights of her car disappear down the street, Gibbs made a mental promise to try and remember to lock the door even if Abby wasn't around. Leaving it unlocked was a bad habit he would have to try even harder to break if it meant unwanted houseguests when he got home.

His mind replayed their conversation, the way she'd tilted her face up to his, obviously expecting him to kiss her.

She'd seemed genuinely disappointed when he hadn't but Gibbs knew she was a good actress and wondered if it'd been a mask for something else. Irritation, perhaps, that he hadn't fallen for her act, into the trap he had no doubt she was being paid good money to lay.

He'd instead told her, in a calm, measured tone that did little to hide the flash of anger in his eyes, to get out of his house.

"And if I don't?" She'd gazed up at him, her voice quiet, close enough that he could feel her breath on his face, almost close enough for him to feel her chest move as she sighed. "What will you do then, Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Is that really something you want to find out?" There'd been a moment of tense silence, the barely concealed threat hanging in the air between them. He'd held his ground, kept himself still. Had he wanted to, it would have been so easy to kiss her, to crush her to him and forget she was on the opposing side.

Abby's image, the memory of her touch, was all he needed to keep from doing so. There was only one woman he wanted to kiss, to carry upstairs to his bed and that wasn't the woman standing in front of him, seemingly waiting for him to do so.

She'd smiled at him, her expression more confused than knowing, and had brushed by him, gently, purposely letting her arm brush against his. He'd stood perfectly still until he'd heard the engine of her car start and only then had let himself relax enough to stride over to the window and watch her leave.

The sudden lack of her in his house wasn't enough, though, to put him at ease. The room still felt wrong, too empty and cold.

Gibbs reached for the phone tucked away in his inside pocket before changing his mind, turning on his heel and striding for the front door, cell phone in hand, a local cab firm already on speed dial.

* * *

Halfway through filling the bathtub with warm water, Abby decided she wouldn't be able to settle enough to enjoy it and pulled out the plug. She paced a little more, her fingers itching to dial Gibbs' number but reluctant to do so in case she got more than she bargained for. She wrapped her arms around her waist and then let them drop to her sides, fingers clenching and unclenching as she tried to keep her mind from imagining what was happening on the other side of town.

Although they'd agreed to still be together, they'd decided it would be safer if they went back to the way things had been before they'd gotten so comfortable with their relationship. There'd be no more openly intimate meals in public, no more flirting or touching inappropriate for mere friends and colleagues or kissing where anyone could see them. They'd have to be careful if she stayed at his or he stayed at hers, either getting cabs or parking their cars a little way down the street so it wasn't entirely obvious.

It wasn't something she was happy with but knowing he felt the same way eased her displeasure somewhat. She kept telling herself that as soon as it was over, as soon as Colonel Bell and M. Allison Hart were out of their lives, they'd get back to the way things had been – on the verge of going public, careful not to flaunt their closeness but not going out of their way to hide it, either.

Telling herself to get a grip, Abby returned to the bathroom, the scent of the bubble bath she'd already used still in the air. She turned on the shower and shut the door to keep the warm air in, stripping off her clothes almost mechanically.

"Think about anything else," she told herself aloud, her voice echoing around the small room. "Just don't think about them."

The hot water pounded against her back, soaking her hair. Abby closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, inch by inch, savouring the sensation of the water hitting her tense muscles. She turned after a few more moments, tilting her face up to the spray, relying on it to clean her smeared make up and hide the tears she couldn't keep from falling.

She didn't hear the knock on the front door, or the keys in the lock. She didn't hear the footsteps walking through her apartment or the sound of her name being called out quietly. She didn't feel the temperature in the room dip slightly as the door to the bathroom was opened and then quickly closed, nor did she hear the rustling of material as clothes were shed and dropped to the floor.

She jumped when an arm wrapped around her waist, palm flattening over her smooth stomach before drawing her back against a hard chest. She inhaled deeply and squeezed her eyes shut, wondering briefly if she was hallucinating, if she'd maybe slipped and bumped her head.

His teeth nipped at the skin of her shoulder and her eyes opened again, her breathing coming in shorter bursts as her heart began to pound.

"You shouldn't be here," she murmured, covering his arm with her own, her fingers searching for and finding his. "I saw her car..."

"She's gone." His lips kissed the flesh he'd nipped with his teeth and he loosened his grip on her just enough to let her turn. He pulled her tightly against him when she faced him, cradling his still healing arm between them before lowering his head to kiss her. His mouth moved over hers, gently at first but increasing in pressure as her arms snaked around his neck. "I couldn't do it, Abs," he murmured against her mouth.

"You couldn't do what?" She forced herself to pull away from him, just enough to look into his eyes, her brow furrowed at the expression on his face. "What happened?"

"Nothing." He leaned in to brush his lips against hers for a brief kiss. "She was there when I got home. I pushed her a little on why she keeps turning up, tried to get her to bite about working for Bell but she didn't. Insisted it wasn't on purpose." The look on her face made him pause, a slight smile on his lips as he saw his scepticism reflected back at him. "I told her to leave, and she did."

The scepticism in her eyes faded into surprise. "She just left?"

"Yeah."

"There was no... I mean, you didn't..." Her voice trailed off and she averted her gaze, dropping her head a little. "I wouldn't like it, Gibbs, but I'd understand if you had to..."

"I didn't." He moved a hand to her chin, tilting her face up. "I had the opportunity, the perfect chance to get close to her but I couldn't do it."

Knowing how much he'd beat himself up if passing up on the opportunity meant the other side having the upper hand and his team – and her – being in danger, Abby tilted her head and rose on her feet to kiss him softly, soothingly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that," she murmured quietly. "I know I should be supportive and tell you that next time, you can and should do whatever you have to to keep everyone safe like you want but I can't. I'm too selfish. I... I don't want to share you with her. I don't want to share you with anyone, no matter what the consequences or motives." She kissed him again when he opened his mouth to speak. "But if you have to, I will understand. I'll expect you to make it up to me afterwards but I know you. I know it's killing you not to be able to do what you need to and I don't want to be the reason you can't."

"What if I want you to be?" His hand curled around her hip, drawing her body close again. "What if I don't want to be with anyone but you, no matter what the reason?"

She didn't answer verbally, kissing him hard instead. She ran her hands over his shoulders, kneading the tense muscles she found there before running them down his back, gripping his hips and pulling him closer still. She snaked one hand between their bodies, stroking him, smiling against his mouth at the groan that escaped him.

When he pulled back to catch his breath, Abby gave him a wicked smile before sliding down his body, leaving a trail of biting kisses over his chest and navel until she was on her knees in front of him, the hand of his good arm coming to rest on her head just seconds before she took him into her mouth.

She moved slowly, taking him as far as she could before drawing back, her fingers running over his length in a firm caress as she withdrew, returning in a few short seconds as she teased and tormented him with her hot mouth and tongue. It wasn't long before his hand tightened in her hair, his groan bouncing off the walls of the small enclosed space as his orgasm hit. She stayed where she was for a few moments longer, smiling in satisfaction before gently pulling away and getting to her feet.

Abby kissed him once, lightly, before turning to shut off the water. They got out of the shower in silence, smiling at one another, exchanging slow kisses as they took turns in drying each other with the towels on the rack. Gibbs took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently before leading her from the room, down the hallway towards the bedroom.

Once there, he unfastened the knot at the front of her towel, letting it fall to the floor, bearing her to his kiss. He ushered her backwards, kissing her sweetly. He turned them just before her legs hit the edge of the bed, smirking when her hands slid between them to undo the knotted towel at his waist, drawing her down with him.

They kissed languidly, shifting over and with one another until they were in the centre of the bed, their bodies entwined. Gibbs rolled her over, lying on his side. He moved his injured arm gingerly, flexing his fingers before his hand settled over her breast. He leaned in to kiss away the concern on her face, satisfied when the action of his fingers and thumb drew a soft moan from her lips. Her hand moved up to stop his when he would've tried to move it lower, the concern back in her admittedly dazed eyes when he pulled back to look at her.

"It's okay," she murmured, "I don't need... You're hurt, Gibbs." She drew his head to hers with a hand against the back of his neck before he could protest, kissing him soundly. "Having you here with me is enough."

The frustrated expression on his face both touched and amused her. Still, he rolled onto his back, his good arm winding around her waist when she draped herself over him, her warm body pressing against his.

Warm and comfortable, feeling complete once more, Abby kept herself awake until she felt him relax beneath her, his breathing slow and even as he slept. She turned her head to press a kiss to his chest above his heart, smiling to herself when his arm tightened around her in his sleep.

They would get through whatever lay ahead of them, she decided. No matter what happened, they would get through it together.

* * *

End.


	41. Jack Knife

Title: Made to be Broken 40 – Jack Knife  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff  
Spoilers: Jack Knife  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: A little bit of fluffiness to counteract all of the angst we've been getting so far.

* * *

It took almost the entire journey from the Navy Yard to his front door but Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs finally managed to convince Agent Tin McGee that he was more than capable of making the short walk from the car to his front door and inside his house unaided.

He waited until his younger agent started driving away before fumbling in his pocket for the key to his front door, a frown marring his brow when he realised, after inserting the key into the lock, that the search was unnecessary as the door was already open.

Having had two unwelcome visitors in the last few weeks, Gibbs reached for his gun as he walked through the front door, shutting it gently behind him so not to alert the intruder to his presence. It was only when his mind registered the soft strains of jazz coming from the iPod speakers he'd been given as a gift in the corner of the room that he relaxed and set his gun down on the cabinet.

Fornell had been right, Gibbs decided, sitting down on the couch to wait for his visitor to announce herself. There was something different about the house he lived in. It had nothing to do with the furnishings or Fornell's theory that he'd hired a cleaner; it was far more subtle than that, something he was surprised anyone else but himself had picked up on.

His house was no longer just a house; it was a place he was happy once more to call home.

And it was all down to one thing, one person. One woman.

And that was the woman leaning in the doorway, a soft smile on her face.

"Hey." She started walking towards him when she noticed him watching, her smile growing wider as he held out his good hand to her. Abby Sciuto wasted no time in sitting beside him, curling up against his side with her head on his shoulder. "I thought I'd stay out of the way till McGee was gone."

"Told him not to bother getting out of the car," Gibbs murmured, turning his head to brush his lips against the top of hers. She hadn't yet moved all of the things she'd moved out of the house back into it – they couldn't risk it in case the wrong person or people noticed and started – but there were little signs here and there, small touches that were undeniably hers. "Fornell likes what you've done with the place."

Abby straightened, turning slightly to look at him in confusion. "I haven't done anything."

His grin was small, his eyes soft. "You've done enough for him to notice there's something different about the place. And about me."

Worry clouded her green eyes for a moment before she realised that he seemed almost pleased with the development, not concerned like she'd feared. "Is that a good difference?" She wondered aloud, nestling her head against his shoulder once more even as her eyes scanned the room. "I can't see anything different about the room. Nothing obvious, anyway."

Gibbs let his own gaze travel the expanse of the room, seeing tiny little traces of her everywhere, traces that no one else would be able to put together and see that they were all related to her. "It's not obvious at all but I like them." His arm tightened around her and he shifted slightly, turning his body into hers as she altered her position to match. "You know how you asked earlier if there was something else I needed help with...?"

"I remember," Abby agreed slowly, a mischievous grin shaping her lips. "You said if there was, you'd get McGee to do it."

"What I'm thinking of doesn't involve McGee."

Abby leaned into him, allowing him to place a lingering kiss on her lips for a few moments before breaking away, pressing a finger against his mouth. "Dinner first, and then dessert."

She pushed herself off the couch before he could protest, leaving Gibbs once again cursing his injured arm and counting down the days until the sling was removed and he could do what he wanted to. He couldn't fight the smile that pulled at his lips, however, in response to the smirk she threw at him over her shoulder.

He had a sinking suspicion that there was more trouble waiting for them in the not-too-distant future but Gibbs was determined not to let that taint the time they had together in the present.

It was like Abby had told him once, repeating his own words back to him:

There was a time and a place for everything, and their time was now.

* * *

End.


	42. Mother's Day

Title: Made to be Broken 41 – Mother's Day  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff, Angst  
Spoilers: Mother's Day  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: A little angst, a little fluff.

* * *

Knowing he was hurting and she couldn't help hurt her.

Knowing he'd had to turn to someone else hurt even more.

She understood it, of course, knew that M. Allison Hart's area of expertise was what he needed and not her forensics but it still stung.

Abby Sciuto sat at her desk in the small office area off her lab long after the others had left for the night, typing up her notes to add to the report she would pass on to both Gibbs and Director Vance.

She tried to keep her mind away from the lawyer and Gibbs, away from Gibbs and his ex-mother-in-law.

Tried to keep her heart from aching any more than it already was.

So distracted was she that she didn't sense his presence until his hands closed on her shoulders, warm as steadying as always.

Abby didn't jump; she was accustomed to Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs sneaking up on her and had grown used to it over the years – more so since their relationship had developed into something other than mere friendship. She did, however, stop what she was doing, focusing instead of the sensation of his strong fingers massaging the tension out of her muscles, on the calloused warmth of his fingertips as they brushed the sensitive skin of her neck.

"So if Major Mass Spec was a guy, you'd marry him, huh? And bare his children?"

Of all the things she was expecting him to say, to lead with, that wasn't it. Abby blinked and tilted her head back, studying him intently.

Behind the grin, she saw he was suffering.

Behind the amusement, she saw his pain.

She lifted a hand to cover his on her shoulder, tangling their fingers together, letting him know silently that she understood and wouldn't press.

That she was there for him however he needed her to be.

"Well, if he was a guy, he'd be pretty amazing." Her own smile felt a little forced but she saw the flash of gratitude in his eyes and that helped ease the knot in her chest a little bit. "Definite competition, that's for sure."

"Oh, really?" Gibbs' hand tightened a little on her shoulder and then relaxed, his fingers flexing when she let her own drop to her lap. His thumb moved in small, slow circles over her skin. "You'll have to give me some pointers, tell me how I can keep ahead of the game."

"You're doing okay on your own," Abby answered, and meant it. The fact that he was there with her, that he'd come looking for her, chosen to spend time with her instead of shutting her out so he could brood and dwell on the past...

It told her how far he – they – had come, and gave her hope they could continue to grow together.

In silence, he stood behind her, hands rubbing her shoulders, using her presence to ground him in the present. In silence, Abby sat back in her chair, staring sightlessly at the screen in front of her, using his touch to reassure herself the future was theirs to share.

* * *

End


	43. Double Identity

Title: Made to be Broken 42 – Double Identity  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff  
Spoilers: Double Identity  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

* * *

The puppy, though a temporary houseguest, was making himself at home. NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs shook his head as the puppy growled and pounced on an intruder invisible to the naked eye, sliding across the floor on his oversized paws until he came to an ungraceful halt thanks to a leg of the chair at the table.

He found himself wondering why he'd agreed to let the puppy stay in his house, then remembered the way the puppy's temporary owner had convinced him with a sly grin that was almost a smirk.

The woman in question chose that moment to sit beside him on the couch, nestling into him with a sigh as her head came to rest against his shoulder, one of her hands automatically finding one of his as he lifted an arm to drape over her shoulders and tug her closer.

The puppy, Mortimer, sensing he wasn't the centre of attention, scrambled towards them and made a clumsy leap up onto Abby's lap. The golden mass of fur would've landed on the floor if not for Abby's quick reaction time and Gibbs soon found the puppy's warm body squirming and squeezing until it was wedged between his thigh and Abby's.

They say in comfortable silence for a while, punctuated by the occasional sigh or snore from the puppy that fell asleep sandwiched between them.

"Do you think Ducky will be okay?" Abby asked softly, her hand resting on top of Mortimer's warm body beneath his, her concern for their friend evident in her voice.

Gibbs considered her question seriously, his mind wandering towards the Medical Examiner and the loss the man had so recently experienced. He thought of his conversation with Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard in the morgue after Abby had told him of Mrs. Mallard's death, of the way she'd tracked the Doctor to his mother's grave with Mortimer's help. He thought of the slight flush to Ducky's cheeks, the sparkle in his eyes when he'd confessed to having begun a relationship with a woman quite a bit younger than himself.

He thought about the woman sitting beside him, his own younger woman, and turned his face so he could kiss the top of her head. "He'll be fine, Abs."

Showing her faith in him was absolute, Abby nodded and smiled, accepting his answer as gospel. She rarely doubted him, almost always believed him without question and it was that degree of devotion and belief that still sometimes took his breath away.

Gibbs tightened his arm around her shoulders and wondered, not for the first time, if she knew how much he appreciated her. She'd helped him heal more than anyone else, more than anything else. She'd helped him so much and he suspected she didn't even know the half of it.

Sitting in the quiet of his living room, in an undoubtedly domestic setting – his woman at his side, a dog almost at their feet, he found himself wanting more than ever to forget about the world beyond the four walls of his house and the trials he knew were still to come.

* * *

First thing the following morning found Gibbs slipping out from beneath the sheets of his own bed, leaving a dozing Mortimer to stand guard over Abby. He dressed without disturbing his lover and patted the dog on the head reassuringly when big brown eyes looked at him in question.

The trip to and from the garden centre took twice as long as it should due to his inability to settle on an appropriate plant. Black roses would have been the obvious choice but, given the situation and the danger they were currently facing, flaunting their relationship and Abby's place in his life unfortunately wasn't an option.

The scent of fresh coffee brewing greeted him as he dumped his newly bought supplies on the porch and entered the house, closely followed by the insistent barking of the puppy, who was only appeased when Gibbs crouched down to stroke him head to tail a couple of times.

When he looked up, Abby stood in the archway between the living room and the dining area, two mugs of coffee in her hands and an indulgent smile on her face.

"He has to go back tomorrow," she told him quietly, a glimmer of regret on her face. "But maybe someday..."

Gibbs gave the puppy one last stroke before straightening. He took one of the mugs from her but lingered close, leaning in to press his lips against her forehead. "Maybe someday," he repeated, echoing the sentiment, feeling it just as strongly as she did.

He thought of the rosebushes waiting to be planted, imagined the expression on her face when she saw them for the first time.

Definitely, he corrected himself silently. Definitely someday...

* * *

End.


	44. Jurisdiction

Title: Made to be Broken 43 - Jurisdiction  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff  
Spoilers: Jurisdiction  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

* * *

He'd planted red roses in his garden.

There was a redhead in the building, who was quite obviously interested in him, yet Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't flirting with her.

Special Agent Tony DiNozzo watched with interest, storing away every comment, every look. When Gibbs refused to call Agent Abigail Borin 'Abby', Tony couldn't keep a slightly knowing grin from spreading across his face.

Couldn't keep from feeling the surge of relief, either, as he picked up the cell phone he'd left on his desk and retreated back to the elevators to do the task he'd been assigned.

* * *

A redhead. A redhead who, according to her sources, seemed interested in Gibbs and, not only that, whose first name happened to be Abigail.

Abby Sciuto didn't try to hide her curiosity, nor did she refrain from asking Tony and McGee questions about the other woman when they brought down the evidence to her lab. She did, however, have to hide a smile when Tony mentioned in a supposedly off-hand comment that the boss-man had mentioned planting red roses at the weekend and had he mentioned it to her...?

The memory of coming home – back to Gibbs' house - from dropping off Mortimer the puppy she'd been taking care of only to find two rosebushes planted either side of the porch made it difficult to keep from smiling, as did the memory of how she'd shown her gratitude..

When Gibbs brought the other woman down to her lab, she watched the two of them together, noted the interest on Agent Borin's face fade into realisation when they both introduced themselves as being 'Abby'.

She saw the smirk on Gibbs' face, felt him move a little closer than necessary to kiss her cheek and saw the 'message received' look in the way Agent Borin looked her over on her way out of the lab.

Curious but knowing better than to ask at work, Abby got back to work and tried to concentrate on the investigation.

"What was that look Agent Borin gave me all about?" Abby asked a few hours later. She sat down on the couch to take off her shoes after arriving at his place an hour behind him. Gibbs stood in the doorway between the living room and the dining room, watching her.

"You don't have to park so far away," he told her instead, an eyebrow arched when she looked up at him. "You left the same time I did, Abs."

She rolled her eyes and moved her boots to the side before standing, crossing the room on bare feet. "I didn't park that far away. I wanted to get a few things from my apartment first. And I thought it'd look more convincing if anyone was watching if I actually drove in the right direction once or twice a week."

He reached out for her as soon as she was close enough, tugging her into his arms. They stood together for a few moments, swaying slightly, just savouring the moment.

"So what was the look about?" Abby asked again after a few moments, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "It was kind of like..."

"Kind of like what?" Gibbs lifted a hand to touch her face when she didn't continue, a fingertip trailing along her jawbone.

"Kind of like she knew about us," she admitted softly, lowering her voice as if afraid someone would overhear them.

"She might." He shrugged, apparently unaffected by the thought. He smiled slightly at the look on her face, lowering his face so he could brush her lips with his gently. "There's only one Abby I'm interested in, Abs. And I'm looking right at her."

Her response was to kiss him again, fingers curling around his shoulders so she could increase the pressure. She opened her mouth when she felt his tongue sweep over her lips, a small noise escaping from the back of her throat as she leaned into him even more.

He walked her backwards, towards the couch she'd so recently vacated, the two of them stumbling, tumbling down together. He tightened on arm around her but used the other to brace himself and keep from crushing her, exchanging slow, sweet kisses the entire time.

"Weren't you cooking...?" Abby asked breathlessly some time later, pushing herself up slightly to aid in the removal of her skirt and underwear. "I can smell something..."

"It'll keep," Gibbs muttered, fastening his mouth on her collar bone as she wriggled beneath him. He pressed his hips down into hers, a muttered curse escaping him at the feel of her against him. "Or we can order take out."

She chuckled huskily, the motion of her body drawing a growl from the pit of his throat. Snaking a hand between them, she stroked him leisurely before taking a firmer hold, guiding him into her. He thrust his hips in response, pushing himself into her fully before holding himself still, her gasp and his grunt seeming to echo in the otherwise quiet room.

Her fingers skimmed down his back, nails scoring his skin lightly until they made their way to his ass. She clutched him to her, wrapped her legs around him and pushed herself upwards, encouraging him wordlessly to move.

He put a hand either side of her, gripping the couch as he moved above and inside her, gritting his teeth as she moved to meet him thrust for thrust. He dropped his head to her shoulder, nibbled his way along to the spot where her shoulder met her neck and bit down gently, the gasp he heard escape her combined with the feel of her nails scratching down his back spurning him on.

He lifted his head to watch her as he felt her body begin to tremble beneath his. Her green eyes fluttered open and locked with his, the look in them as she shattered helping to send him over the edge after her.

Such love and devotion, unyielding, unquestioning...

... It never failed to amaze him how someone as undeniably good as Abby could want someone as emotionally scarred as he was.

After taking a while to gather himself, Gibbs shifted to move off her, manoeuvring himself so he was between her and the back of the couch, his arms sliding around her waist to keep her close. He kissed her still damp forehead and smiled when she tugged down the blanket he kept folded over the back of the couch for such occasions, his grin growing when she nestled closer and sighed contentedly.

There was only one Abby he was interested in, only one who could make him feel like this and he was glad that she was his.

* * *

End


	45. Guilty Pleasure

Title: Made to be Broken 44 – Guilty Pleasures  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Angst  
Spoilers: Guilty Pleasures  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Notes: Wasn't quite sure what to do with this one... Hope it works! :)

* * *

He cleared the dishes away slowly, his mind still struggling to catch up with the events of the evening. He'd entertained another woman, cooked her dinner and actually, for a while, enjoyed himself – all at the urging of his lover, the woman he really wanted to spend his time with.

NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs shook his head as he scraped off the remainder of the meal into the trash can, remembering the conversation he'd had earlier in the day with Abby Sciuto.

* * *

"You should ask her to dinner," Abby had told him, not quite looking at him as he entered her lab to see if she was nearly ready to go home.

Confused, thinking at first that she meant Margaret Allison Hart, Gibbs stopped short of reaching out for her, letting his arm drop back to his side. "Who?"

"Holly Snow." She turned her head to glance at him, a fleeting smile that didn't reach her eyes on her face. "She's interested. You like her." She let one shoulder rise and fall in a casual shrug and quickly looked away. "If we weren't in a relationship, you'd be tempted to ask her out."

"If we weren't in a relationship," he repeated quietly, glancing over his shoulder automatically to make sure there was no one around. "But we are in a relationship, Abs."

It was Abby's turn to check to see if they were truly alone. "But we agreed we'd keep it to ourselves and wouldn't be obvious about it. I don't like it, Gibbs, anymore than you do but..." Her voice dropped even more and she turned on her stool to look at him, her hands moving, saying what she couldn't bring herself to speak aloud. 'I think I was followed to my apartment this morning. I might have been imagining it but it reminded me that there's a reason we started cooling off. There's a reason we still need to act like there's nothing between us.'

Something cold and akin to dread settled in his stomach at the thought of her being followed, of them being watched. He thought back over the last couple of weeks, to the routine they'd settled into instinctively since deciding their relationship was too important to put on hold.

They'd become relaxed, he realised with a pang. Too comfortable.

With reluctance he knew she was sharing, he gave her a small nod. 'I'll call you later.'

'I'll be waiting.'

* * *

After finishing the clean up, Gibbs checked the back and front doors were locked before taking his phone upstairs, changing for bed quickly, settling under the sheets and trying to ignore the fact that the other side of the bed was cold and empty.

He hit speed-dial and listened to it ring three times before hearing the woman he'd been waiting for.

"Hey."

"Hey." Closing his eyes, he let the sound of her voice wash over him, settle him.

"You have a good night?" There was an unspoken question in her voice, a tiny shard of insecurity that pierced him.

"It was okay," he answered honestly, unwilling to lie to her. "Would've been better if the company was different."

That was the truth, too, Gibbs thought as he waited for her reply.

"Dinner must've finished early. It's only just turned ten," Abby pointed out. "I guess she didn't stay for a nightcap."

"She got a call." He shrugged, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see him. "The invite wouldn't have been on the table anyway, Abs."

A soft sigh floated through the receiver. "I won't pretend I'm not pleased by that," she murmured quietly. There was the sound of rustling material and Gibbs realised he wasn't the only one hoping an early night would make the time between they were separated pass quicker. "There's no way I'm going to sleep tonight."

He glanced over at the empty bed beside him – her side – and couldn't keep his own sigh from escaping. "Likewise."

There was another short pause, then a small humourless chuckle. "Meet you at the coffee shop at six?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "I'll be there."

"I guess the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I'll wake up..." 'The sooner I'll see you' went unspoken. "Night, Gibbs. Love you."

Gibbs heard the dial tone before he could reply. A taste of his own medicine, he thought with a rueful smile. He stared at the phone in his hand for several minutes before hitting the disconnect button and putting it on the cabinet beside his bed, reaching to switch off the light moments later.

* * *

End


	46. Moonlighting

Title: Made to be Broken 45: Moonlighting  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, romance, angst  
Spoilers: Moonlighting  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

* * *

The aborted lie detector test weighed heavily on his mind. Even as Abby Sciuto curled up around him and sighed in her sleep, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't get the moment he'd pulled the wires off him out of his mind.

'Have you ever committed a felony?'

The question made his heart begin to pound even now, lying in bed with his lover at his side. His hands felt damp and sweaty, his throat dry.

He knew Director Leon Vance wouldn't let the subject drop. He knew there'd be questions, knew the chances of him escaping another polygraph test were slim but as the woman sleeping behind him tightened her arms around him, Gibbs knew he'd do whatever he could to avoid such a thing happening.

His past wasn't innocent. It wasn't pleasant.

It still had the power to destroy his present, his future.

His relationship with Abby.

If he lost her, her love and her respect and her friendship and *her*...

He swallowed hard, fear building in his gut.

He couldn't regret what he'd done, no matter how much he might wish he could. He wouldn't change it, either, even if the opportunity somehow magically arose.

What he would regret was Abby finding out. He'd regret Abby being hurt by it.

And he'd regret Abby deciding she could no longer be with him because she didn't recognise him to be the man she believed he was.

She made a small noise at the back of her throat, a sound that was a cross between a whimper and a sigh. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her warm body even closer to his own, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling her heart beating in time with his.

And he stared at the ceiling, hoping his past would stay in the past and that the day it collided with his present would never come.

* * *

End


	47. Obsession

Title: Made to be Broken 46: Obsession  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: Mild FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Angst  
Spoilers: Obsession  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Notes: It's a kind of return of the angst, and I'm sure, given what lies beyond, you guys aren't surprised. Please stick with me, though – I don't know how this is gonna go come season eight, but I do know how it's going to go up to the end of season seven now and it's not all bad, I promise.

* * *

She didn't like the woman though wasn't sure if it was because she thought she was on the wrong side or because she thought, under other circumstances, she could be a real threat for Gibbs' affections.

It was that thought that troubled Abby Sciuto most, more so after her encounter with Margaret Allison Hart. The lawyer had managed to secure temporary employee status with NCIS at the Navy Yard and Abby had to wonder if it was because she was still following orders from the suspiciously quiet Colonel Bell or if the woman had more personal motives of her own.

Either way, Abby wasn't pleased.

The charade of pretending she wasn't in a relationship with Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was beginning to tire her. The charade of having him pretend he was perhaps interested in M. Allison Bell continued to upset her, more so after a member of Gibbs' team made an off-hand comment in her earshot that the couple, though seeming to have a definite love-hate relationship, were spending a fair amount of time together outside of work.

That much, Abby knew ruefully, was true.

There'd been dinners after work, a beer supposedly between friends. Abby had found herself avoiding Gibbs' house over the past week or so and she hated.

More, she hated that Gibbs hadn't seemed to have noticed.

It'd started a few days after his dinner-date with Holly Snow, Abby thought, a dinner-date she herself had encouraged. She'd missed him that evening and gone around to see him after work a few nights later, after the case involving Agent Grady, whereupon he'd taken her to bed and she'd woken up to find him watching her sleep, an unreadable expression on his face. She'd waited a few days, reluctantly, before going around again, unable to stay away.

She hadn't told him she was going and had undertaken what were becoming her usual precautions - going to her apartment first, driving in a loop so it didn't look like she was heading straight to his after work.

She'd parked a few blocks away, completed the rest of the journey on foot.

Spotted Ms. Hart's car parked in the drive alongside Gibbs' own as if it belonged there and promptly turned on her heel and retraced her steps.

Under other circumstances, had she not been in a relationship with Gibbs herself, and had Ms. Hart not been sent to spy on him by someone he considered to be an enemy... Abby had no doubt Gibbs could have genuinely been attracted to the lawyer, despite his rules against getting involved with them as a whole.

She suspected he was, on some level, genuinely attracted to the suave and sophisticated woman and her own insecurities, about both herself and their relationship, resurfaced to eat at her confidence, at her faith that they had a future together.

It wasn't just in her mind, either, Abby thought. Gibbs himself seemed to be pulling away from her, putting more distance between them. What she couldn't understand was why.

With a sigh far heavier than was right for the normally upbeat scientist, Abby began switching off her machines and packing away her belongings, wondering if she should bother make the trip across town to Gibbs' house or if she should save herself a journey and just head home to her empty apartment.

She stood at the doorway to the basement, listening to the voices of two of her favourite men. She couldn't clearly hear what they were saying but snippets of their conversation drifted up to her and Abby felt her heart break for Tony DiNozzo as he admitted so forlornly that he'd broken rule 10.

Just as she was deciding whether or not to leave, she heard footsteps coming towards her and moved from the door to the basement to the kitchen, her footsteps hurried but quiet. She stood still in the shadows, listening intently past the pounding of her heart, ready to make a run for the door leading into the living room if the footsteps came her way.

She heard the murmur of voices again, then the sound of the front door being shut – and the lock being turned.

For some reason, the thought of being alone in the house with Gibbs made her nervous. Maybe because they hadn't seen much of each other outside of work, maybe because it meant they had an opportunity to talk and she wasn't sure she'd like whatever he had to say.

If he said anything.

She eyed the backdoor speculatively, wondering if she could escape without him knowing she was there but the atmosphere seemed to change, the hairs on the back of her neck reacting as she realised that she wasn't alone.

"Abby." Her name sounded strange for some reason she couldn't put her finger on.

"Relieved or disappointed?" She couldn't stop herself from asking, her heart racing as he didn't answer straight away. "I should probably go. You're probably expecting company..."

His body blocked the door to the hall and to the front door beyond that. He reached out for her, his expression conflicted, drawing her into his arms with a gentleness that surprised her. "Abby."

Abby exhaled slowly when she was nestled against him, winding her own arms around him in a crushing embrace as his tightened around her, his mouth pressing against the side of her head as he held her. "You've been different," she told him quietly. "I thought... If you want this to end, you have to tell me, Gibbs. I know we've got some kind of weird connection but I can't read your mind. I never could..."

He pulled back to look at her, the small smile on his face not reaching his eyes. He pressed his lips against her forehead, her nose, and then finally against her lips in a lingering kiss that reminded her how long it'd been since they'd last kissed. "I don't want this to end, Abby. I promise you that."

"Then what is it?" She broke away from him with a great deal of reluctance, folding her arms over her chest to keep from reaching out to him. "You're pulling away from me. You rarely come and see me, not even in the lab... You haven't even noticed that we haven't... that I haven't stayed over in a week..."

The flash in his eyes was quick. "Oh, I've noticed." He took a step forward, forcing her to take a step back. "If you want out of this, Abby, all you have to do is ask."

"It'd be that easy for you?" An eyebrow arched and she bit back a gasp when she backed into the counter, a shiver going through her when she found herself pinned there almost immediately by his arms either side of her. "All I need to say is I want out and you'll let me go?"

The expression on his face was unreadable, even to her. "If that's what you want, I'll let you go. Wouldn't be easy, but I'd do it."

"For me." She wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to lift her onto the bench behind her. Leaning down, she kissed him gently. "I missed you," she murmured, leaning her forehead against his. "I thought... I thought you'd decided you wanted out. That you wanted her..."

"I'd never do that to you." He kissed her, supporting his words with actions as was his way. His hands wandered from her hips, one tangling in her hair to keep her where he wanted her, one slipping beneath her shirt to stroke the smoothness of her skin. "I want you. Just you."

They didn't make it as far as the bedroom, or even as far as the couch. They made it as far as the small dining room, stumbling over the clothes they discarded on the way. He set her down on the table, his hands roaming over her skin, touching, mapping out every dip and curve as though it were the first time.

As though it were the last.

He was both tender and desperate, fingers digging into her hips as he drove them both to completion, then caressing the bruises as their bodies recovered and their breathing calmed. He tugged her up when he was sure his legs would support him, leading her through the darkened house, up the stairs into his bedroom.

Once in bed, he curled around her almost protectively, keeping his body between hers and the door, stroking his fingers through the ends of her hair as he watched her intently.

"I'm not going to disappear," she told him quietly, a small, uncertain smile playing out on her lips. "You can close your eyes, you know."

Gibbs shook his head slightly, his hand moving from her hair to touch her cheek. He ran his fingertip across her cheekbone, cupping her face so he could lean in and kiss her sweetly before drawing back, pulling her into his arms and holding her as she gave in to her body's demands to sleep.

* * *

End


	48. Borderland

Title: Made to be Broken 47 – Borderland  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, romance, angst – emphasis on the angst, I'm afraid.  
Spoilers: Borderland, the M. Allison Hart story arc  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: Forgive me and stick with me. Please?

* * *

Numb.

Her world was falling down around her and all she felt was... numb.

Abby Sciuto ran her hands over her face, through her hair, tears stinging her eyes but refusing to fall. Her throat ached, her stomach churned, her body felt cold one moment and hot the next... She tightened her arms around herself, rocking slightly on the stool in her lab before she caught herself and forced herself to stand.

She had to move, she had to walk.

She had to do something.

Anything.

But there was nothing she could do to change it, and that was what frustrated and hurt her the most.

That, and the fact he hadn't told her, hadn't trusted her.

For over two years, she'd shared his bed and her heart. For over two years – over eleven, almost twelve if she counted every year they'd known each other – he'd deliberately kept something so big and so important from her.

There was no doubt in her mind that someone had meant for her to find out, that she was being used to get to him.

Maybe their relationship was being used, too, Abby thought blankly. Maybe someone who knew about them had decided that their relationship made her the perfect tool with which to hurt him – destroy him.

Maybe that someone knew they'd succeed.

* * *

When he heard a key turning in the lock, he knew it would be her. No one else had a key to his place, after all.

And no one else had a reason to visit him in the dead of the night.

If he was honest with himself, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was surprised it'd taken her so long to come to him. His gut had been protesting from the moment he heard she was being sent to Mexico, his heart aching from the second Ducky had revealed the identity of the body on the slab.

The urge to take the bullet and lose it somewhere between the morgue and her lab had been tempting. Not to protect himself, as he'd have gotten more than a slap on the wrist for losing vital evidence, but to protect her.

To keep her from finding out, to stop her from being put in the unenviable position she was now facing.

To keep himself from losing her, he thought with a sigh. To keep from losing her respect and her love and her trust.

He looked up when he heard her on the stairs, wondering if he'd already lost her.

"What I really need to know, Gibbs, is if you're gonna love me. No matter what."

She studied him anxiously, nervously. The slight twitch of his eye and the corner of his mouth when she asked if he loved her like a daughter, the way he didn't confirm it nor deny it in case they were being listened to... The flash of heat in his eyes, brief but present, had answered that question even if they hadn't been in a romantic relationship.

The second question, the look he gave her...

"Gibbs, please." She hated the way her voice broke, the way the tears that wouldn't fall from her eyes when she'd been alone and wanted them to wouldn't tried to escape. She wiped one away with an angry hand. "Just tell me it's going to be okay. Tell me we're going to be okay."

He opened his mouth but closed it again without saying anything. He put the tools he'd been working with down and took a step towards her at the same time as Abby took a step towards him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She let her head rest against his chest, listening to his heart beating beneath her ear.

Neither of them knew what words to say to comfort the other, to reassure.

Neither of them wanted to lie.

It was in silence that he led her upstairs, into his room. It was in silence that they took off their shoes before lying down together on top of the blankets, both still fully clothed.

It was in silence that Abby cried, frustrated and hurt and scared beyond anything she'd felt before.

It was in silence that Gibbs held her, a tear of his own slipping down his cheek as he felt his hope that they could survive anything slowly slip away.

* * *

End


	49. Patriot Down

Title: Made to be Broken 48 – Patriot Down  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-13  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Post-ep, romance, angst  
Spoilers: Patriot Down  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.

* * *

Every look was fraught, full of meaning and words they couldn't bring themselves to say.

Every touch was significant with neither knowing if it would ever be their last.

When the doors locked behind and around him, keeping him in her lab, Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been avoiding her, avoiding the conversation he knew they had to have.

Scared of what she was going to tell him, and what he would have to tell her in return.

There was a part of her that wanted to snatch the remote in her hand and smash it into a dozen pieces, trapping them in the room, keeping her with him so she couldn't leave even if she decided she wanted to.

It was overruled by the bigger part that told him those nearest and dearest to him were in danger – and the voice that reminded him that Abby, as the one whose work would seal his fate, was amongst them.

"I am willing to do anything. For you." Abby Sciuto held his gaze evenly, her dark green eyes shadowed by more than just make-up. "I just need you to tell me what to do."

She was pleading with him to give her an answer, to tell her that he'd thought of some way of making it all disappear.

He hated himself for disappointing her.

"I've only ever needed you to do one thing," he told her quietly, fighting the urge to reach out and take her into his arms.

'Love me. Trust me. Want me.'

"My job," Abby supplied for him, her eyes saying more than her words could. "But it's different, this time. I mean, it has to be, right?"

Gibbs shook his head, hating the doubt and indecision on her face. Wishing he could whisk her away, far from the aftermath of what he was sure would be a destructive turn of events. "No, it doesn't."

He couldn't, though. He couldn't take her away from it or protect her from what she needed to do. She meant too much to him for her to lose her career and the respect of her peers because of him. It both touched him and broke his heart that she would do both without question if he asked her to and it was that selflessness, that show of love that made him strong in his resolve not to let her.

The computer beeped and they both rushed to it, watching as the image on screen became clearer. He knew, staring at the man on screen, at Agent Macy's killer, where he had to go and what he had to do and he wished, for the first time in his life, that Abby hadn't grown so close to him, hadn't been caught up in the darkness that had been his life before she'd walked into it.

"You know too much, Abby." It was as close to a warning as he could get, though he made a mental note to call Director Vance from the plane to let him know not where he was going but that their forensic scientist needed protection.

It was the least he could do, Gibbs decided, for the woman who would do anything for him. Who he was willing to die for.

"Gibbs." He looked at her reluctantly, hating the anguish in her eyes. "What do I do?"

"You send in the report to the task force. All of it." He held her gaze, his stare meaningful. 'Don't protect me, Abs. Do the right thing.'

"I know." Abby sighed softly. "You shouldn't have to tell me that, right?"

A ghost of a smile flickered over his features before he moved closed, unable to resist. He stopped himself from putting his arms around her, uncertain as to whether he'd be able to convince himself to let go once he did. Instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her head, lingering, hoping she would understand.

Hoping she would know.

She took the remote he gave her and opened the door, letting him leave.

Gibbs felt her gaze on his back as he walked away.

* * *

If you love someone, you set free. It was a corny cliché but one that Abby couldn't get out of her mind.

She wondered if somewhere where was a phrase about protecting the people you loved by not letting them ruin their careers for you.

The report that had the power to destroy him clutched in her hands, she found herself going to the one person she'd never thought she would.

"Ms. Hart?" Her voice sounded shaky and she knew her palms were damp. "Can I see you for a minute?"

The lawyer looked surprised and a little flustered as she found herself accosted by the forensic scientist after leaving Director Vance's office. After a moment's hesitation, she gave a small nod and followed Abby to the elevators, an eyebrow arching wordlessly when the black haired scientist hit the emergency stop almost immediately. "Is there a problem, Ms. Sciuto...?"

"I need you to be honest with me," Abby cut her off, her eyes searching out Hart's in the dim blue light of the elevator. "I need you to forget everything else, who asked you to come here, why you still are... I just need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me."

"I'm listening." Hart tilted her head slightly, her expression serious and her eyes intrigued, especially when they caught a glimpse of the folder in Abby's hands. "Is that your report on...?"

"How do you feel about Gibbs?" Abby asked quickly, clutching the report a little tighter to her chest.

Hart blinked. "Excuse me?"

"How do you feel about him? Do you want to see him hurt?" Abby took a small step forward. "If you had something that could destroy him, would you use it?"

Confusion on her face, Hart shook her head. "I don't know why you're asking me this..."

"Just answer me? Please?" Abby swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed aside her doubts. "I need to know. For Gibbs' sake. I need to know I can trust you."

"You need to know if you can trust me with... what? His safety? His career?" Hart's brow furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

It was Abby's turn to shake her head, frustration colouring her actions. "You don't need to understand. Not yet. Can I trust you with his life?"

A moment of understanding flashed between them, a look of realisation.

With a small nod, Margaret Allison Hart gave her answer and made a choice. "You can trust me."

"Good." Another silence fell over them, a pause a little too long to be comfortable. With a hand she couldn't keep steady, Abby held out the folder containing her report. "Gibbs told me to give this to the task force. You're the liaison, right? So I'm giving it to you. That's... I'm not really going against what he asked me to do."

Her own hand closing over the folder, a sense of foreboding washing over her as she wondered what it held that could have such an effect on the scientist, Hart tried her best at a smile. "You're doing what he asked you to do," Hart said soothingly. "I'll handle it from here."

Abby nodded and turned away before the other woman could see the tears in her eyes. She hit the emergency stop again and darted out of the doors before Hart could say anything else, before she could see the tears that slipped down her face.

Margaret Allison Hart was the enemy, the competition. And, as much as it hurt Abby to admit it, she was the only one who could save the man they both cared about.

* * *

End


	50. Rule 51

Title: Made to be Broken 49 – Rule 51  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs, slight Tony/Ziva  
Category: Post-ep, Angst, Romance  
Spoilers: Rule 51  
Summary: Some rules are made to be broken.  
Author's Note: I don't know how well it works but I'm trying to get a balance between something optimistic but which also leaves me with some breathing room for the events in season eight should I continue to write this series. Finger crossed it reads that way, and here's looking forward to another year of Gabby.

* * *

The ceremony seemed to last forever, made longer by the conspicuous absences of the two men Abby Sciuto was sure Ziva David wanted there more than anyone else. Director Vance had made Tony DiNozzo's apologies for him, explaining in his own cryptic way that there were more important matters for the senior agent on Gibbs' team to deal with.

Abby hoped he was safe, wherever he was.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, on the other hand, had given no one any messages or apologies to pass on to the newly awarded American citizen and valued member of the team. It both worried Abby that he wasn't there, and angered her on Ziva's behalf.

While the others tried to convince Ziva to go out for drinks to celebrate, Abby found herself heading to Gibbs' house, hoping he had a good enough reason for missing the important ceremony.

She pulled up just as Margaret Allison Hart was getting into her car to drive away. Her smile was forced, her expression carefully arranged as she exchanged a polite nod and knowing look with the other woman.

Waiting until Hart had driven away, Abby started up the path with slow steps. She let herself into the house, calling out softly to announce her presence. When there was no response, she ventured further inside, passing through the living room, into the dining room, her heart pounding unsteadily when she caught sight of the report lying carelessly on the dining room table.

Her report, the one she'd given to Margaret Allison Hart on a hunch that the other woman could do what she herself couldn't and protect the man whose house she was in.

Her hands clenched reflexively as she realised it meant Gibbs knew what she'd done and she continued her slow exploration of the house with growing trepidation.

Would he forgive her for taking the risk, Abby wondered, or would he be angry that she'd trusted her own instincts and not strictly followed his orders?

There was a small, nagging part of her that was worried Gibbs would start seeing Hart differently after she'd proven she could be trusted. That he'd see that the woman had genuine feelings for him... and maybe chose her over Abby herself.

The basement was empty, as were all of the rooms downstairs. Abby slowly made her way upstairs towards his room, hoping he'd hear her and stop her from having to go that far.

He didn't.

When she pushed open the slightly ajar door, she found him sitting on his bed, a box she recognised in his hands. It was a box she'd seen several times but hadn't pried about, suspecting it had something to do with his late wife and child.

She watched him take out a piece of paper and circle what was written on it before flipping it over and writing on the back. As she got closer, she cleared her throat, making him look up.

An almost guilty expression passed over his features momentarily and Abby's steps faltered, doubting her welcome.

"Hey." She stood awkwardly beside the bed, trying to keep the memories her mind conjured of the two of them sharing it at bay.

"Hey." Gibbs glanced down at the paper in his hand, then back up at her. "Ceremony over?"

"Yeah." She nodded and clasped her hands in front of her to keep from fidgeting. "McGee and Ducky are trying to persuade Ziva to go for a few drinks to celebrate. I said I'd try and find you and get you to go. She's a little upset you didn't make it, what with Tony being... away."

"I got held up."

"So I saw." She unclasped her hands and let her arms drop to her sides. "She gave you the report, which means... everything should be okay." She waited but he said nothing. "Should be, but obviously isn't. You're either angry with me for giving it to her or..." She bit her lip and craned her head, looking at the scrawl on the writing in front of him. "Rule 51? Sometimes... you're wrong?" She looked at him questioningly.

"Sometimes you are." Gibbs shrugged. He didn't protest when she took the paper out of his hands, turning it over to see what he'd circled on the back.

"Never, ever involve a lawyer," she read quietly. She turned the paper over again and re-read the newly created. "But sometimes you're wrong." Biting her lip, she handed the paper back to him, forcing herself not to react when his fingers accidentally brushed hers. She waited until he'd put the pieces of paper away, secured the photographs on top and closed the box before continuing. "Is Ms. Hart the only person you were wrong about or were you wrong about me, too? About us?"

He waited a second too long, in Abby's opinion, before answering. "You know how I feel about you, Abby."

She thought back to the way he'd held her in her lab, the way his lips had brushed the skin of her neck, her ear. The way he'd held her just a little too close for a little too long before leaving without a word.

At the time, it'd felt like a goodbye, just like the kiss he'd given her before he left for Mexico had.

"I know. I know you love me and you wouldn't want to hurt me by saying this isn't what you want – by telling me that you were wrong when you thought this – us – was something you wanted long-term. I know you value my friendship, my work and you wouldn't do anything to jeopardise that but, Gibbs? I don't want to be in a relationship with you if you don't want to be in it with me." She held up a hand to keep him from arguing. "I know you." She tried to smile but the effort fell flat. "I know you're intrigued by her. The look on your face right now would've given you away even if rule 51 didn't."

Gibbs glanced down at the box on his lap before looking back up at her. "It's not like that, Abs..."

"It's exactly like that. Exactly like rule 51. Sometimes, you are wrong. Maybe this is one of those times." She took a step back when it looked like he was about to reach out for her. "We'll be at the same bar we went to with Ducky to drink to his Mom. If you don't show up, I'll make up an excuse and I'll know... I'll know that tomorrow we start again and try to go back to what things were. I don't want you to be with me out of a sense of obligation, Jethro. I meant it when I said I'd do anything for you, even if that means I have to be the one to walk away."

Abby turned on her heel before he could stop her, walking out of the room and down the stairs as fast as her unsteady legs would take her.

When she made it all the way to her car without him following, she told herself the decision had already been made.

* * *

It was a quiet celebration with everyone present aware of those who hadn't turned up. McGee and Jimmy Palmer did their best to entertain Ziva, while Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard tried to find out what was wrong with Abby. She kept smiling at him and told him repeatedly that she was okay but no one missed the way her eyes kept darting to the door whenever the cool breeze signalled it had been opened.

Nor did they miss the disappointment that flared briefly in her eyes when the person walking through it turned out to be a stranger.

By the end of the first hour, Abby had stopped looking. She was nursing her second drink, sitting next to Ziva as McGee and Jimmy were laughingly pulled towards the small but crowded dance floor by two women who'd come in with a rowdy group of girls obviously out for a good time. The Director and the good doctor were seemingly engrossed in conversation, leaving the two women to sit and talk about everything but the two men absent from the barstools next to them.

"Does it feel any different?" Abby asked quietly. "Being an American citizen compared to... not being one?"

Ziva shrugged and swirled her drink in her glass. "I thought it would feel different but it does not appear to. Perhaps it is too early to know."

"It's only been a few hours," Abby pointed out with a small smile. "Give it at least a couple of days. And you know when Tony's back, we're gonna have another celebration. A bigger one. Probably with cake and a dozen movie references knowing Tony."

"I look forward to." Ziva's smile was genuine, and a little hopeful. "I... Gibbs!"

Abby turned quickly on her stool, almost losing her balance. If not for the hand of the man who'd appeared behind her, she suspected she would have landed ungracefully on the floor.

"Ziva." Turning his attention from Abby to the brunette beside her, Gibbs gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I missed the ceremony."

Ziva blinked, startled by the apology. "It... It's okay. I am sure you had something important that needed to be taken care of..."

"Still, I should've been there." Gibbs took his hand from Abby's shoulder to hug his agent gently. "I'll make it up to you."

Ziva smiled, her eyes suspiciously bright. "It is enough that you are here, Gibbs. I will tell the others and we will get another round of drinks."

With a slightly knowing look that suggested to both Abby and Gibbs that the Mossad Liaison-turned-NCIS-Agent knew a little more than they'd expected, Ziva slipped past Gibbs and moved towards the Director and Ducky. Alone, Abby clasped her hands in her lab as Gibbs sat down on the previously empty barstool beside her.

"I didn't think you were going to show," Abby murmured, closing her hand around her glass but making no move to take a sip. "I know it doesn't necessary mean that..."

"Abs." Gibbs covered her hand, prising her fingers from around her glass so he could tangle them with his own for a few precious minutes before the others joined them. "Rule 51 applies to this situation but not in the way you think. In this case..." He glanced over his shoulder, lifting her hand to his lips after checking no one was watching or at least that they seemed to be looking elsewhere when he looked at them. "You're the one who's wrong."

She tried to keep her hope from sounding in her voice but he saw it in her eyes anyway. "So we're still... us."

"If you think we can be. If I haven't already lost you." He set her hand down gently on the bar, pulling his hand back as they were joined by the others.

His grin was quick and easy for his friends and he slipped into the banter with ease but Abby felt his eyes on her more than once, looked up to find him watching her more than once.

The celebration came to a natural end a few hours later, with people drifting off and going their own ways. Abby hugged Ziva before seeing her friend into the waiting taxi, stepping back from the curb to wave as she watched it drive away.

She felt more than saw Gibbs move to stand behind her, using his bigger frame to shelter hers from the cool evening breeze. When she leaned back into him, he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer.

"You could never lose me, Gibbs. I don't know if I can forget everything that's happened in the last couple of weeks but no matter what, you're never going to lose me." She tilted her head back against his shoulder when his hand squeezed her hip, her lips curving in a soft smile. "Take me home?"

He exhaled slowly, as if he'd been expecting her to say something else. "Thought you'd never ask."

Within a matter of moments, a taxi pulled up alongside them. Gibbs opened the door for her, leaning down to steal a quick kiss before ushering her inside before following, giving his address to the driver.

He looked across the seat at her, saw the slight apprehension in her eyes and reached out to take her hand.

Sometimes you were wrong but, sometimes, you were absolutely right.

* * *

End

_A huge thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story, reviewed it and put up with the pauses in between updates while I waited to see what direction the show would take. I hope you've enjoyed the journey this far and think this ending is okay. As of this moment, I'm unsure as to whether I'll continue it in season eight or not. If I do, I'll see you all in September - if not, I'm sure there'll be other stories to take its place and hope you'll join me for those, too :)_


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